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A  REVELATION  OF  THE  LOVE  OF  GOD 


When  the  Wild  Crab- Apple 
Puts  Forth  Blossoms 


Nature  Sermons  Preached  in  the 

First  Methodist  Episcopal 

Church,  Aurora,  111. 


'By 

The  Reverend 
CHARLES  KNAPP  CARPENTER 

Of  the  Rock  River  Conference 


I 


Cincinnati:  &?m  gorft: 

JENNINGS  AND  GRAHAM  EATON  AND  MAINS 


Copyright,  1911 
By  Jennings  and  Graham 


N  iPl'tilS 


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This  Book  is  Dedicated  to  Lovers  of 

God  Who  are  Seeking  Closer 

Acquaintance  with  Him 

as  They  Go  About  in 

His  Beautiful 

World. 


(3 


CONTENTS 

"Cbetrtes 

I.    The  Coming  of  Spring,  20 

II.    Nature-Interpretation  of  Job,  -            50 

III.  Impossible  Songs  of  Nature  and 

Redemption,      -         -         -  -         -82 

IV.  The  Immanent  God,          -         -  -          108 

V.    The  Message  of  the  Canadian 

Wilderness,      -         -         -  -               138 

VI.    God  the  Eternal  Force,          -  -          172 

VII.    Pathfinders,         -         -         -  -         -     196 

VIII.    Delivering  the  Prisoner,          -  -          222 

IX.    Autumn  Glories,           -  244 

X.    Much  Sowing  and  Little  Reaping,  -  272 


CONTENTS 


Cext9 

I.    When  the  Wild  Crab  Apple  Puts 

Forth  Blossoms,        -         -         -         -       21 

II.    Where  Wast  Thou  When  I  Laid  the 

Foundations  of  the  Earth  ?  -  51 

III.  No  Man  Could  Learn  That  Song,       -       83 

IV.  The  Creator  of  the  Ends  of  the 

Earth  Fainteth  Not,  -         -         -  109 

V.    The  Voice  of  One  Crying  in  the 

Wilderness, 139 

VI.    God  Said, 173 

VII.  There  is  a  Path  Which  no  Fowl  Know- 
eth,  and  Which  the  Vulture's  Eye 
Hath  Not  Seen,        -         -         -  197 

VIII.    He  Shall  Bruise  the  Head  of  the 

Serpent,        -         -         -         -         -  223 

IX.  The  Whole  Earth  is  Full  of  His 

Glory,      -  -  -     245 

X.  Some  Seed  Fell  by  the  Wayside  ;  Some 

Fell  Upon  Stony  Places  ;  Some  Fell 
Among  Thorns;  Soxme  Fell  into 
Good  Ground  and  Brought  Forth 
Fruit,       -         -         -         -         -         -     273 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

XJ 

Wild  Crab-Apple  Thicket       -         -  Cover  Page 

A  Revelation  of  the  Love  of  God,    -         -  2 

Catbird  Feeding  Young,  -         -         -         -       12 

"Good  Morning,"  Chickadee  leaving  nest,  16 

"  Wild  Crab-Apple  Blossoms,"  23 

"The  Redbud  Blooms  by  the  Swollen 

Waters,"    ------  35 

1 '  Wonders  of  Nature,  ' '  The  Upper  Dalles 

of  the  Wisconsin  River,      -  -  -  61 

"The  Booming  Bitterns  Reared  Their 

Young," 77 

"The  Singing  of  the  Brook,"  85 

"The  Music  of  the  Pines,"  Ludington,  Mich.,  93 
"A  Shifting  Hill  of  Sand,"  Ludington, 

Mich.,      -         -         -         -         -         -         -in 

"  Every  Bird  Cares  For  Its  Little  Ones," 

Yellow  Warbler,    -  -  -  -  -  135 

"Rocks  and  Wooded  Hills  and  Flowing 

Waters,"  "  Castle  Rock,"  Oregon,  111.,  -  141 
"A  Tiny  Bird  on  Great  Wtaters,"  Piping 

Plover,,        ------  j67 

"Workshop  of  the  Mighty  Jehovah,"  Pine 

Creek,  111., 175 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

"The  Tree,  With  its  Harvest  of  Young  Birds,"  187 

"The  Vulture's  Eye,"  Young  Marsh  Hawks,  -  199 
"Whither  Dost  Thou  Pursue  Thy  Solitary 

Way?"  Little  Green  Heron,  -         -  213 

"The  Serpent,"  Garter  Snake,  -  -  -  225 
"Beneath  the  Wings  of  the  Parent," 

Traill's  Flycatcher,         -  -  -  -  229 

"When  Leaves  are  Thickly  Strewn,"  -  247 

"A  Walk  Among  the  Trees,"   -         -         -  251 

"  Dying  Leaves, "   ------  261 

"A  Field  of  the  Great  Sower,"  WilcL 

Bergamot,     ------  275 

"Nesting  in  Hidden  Places,"  King  Rail,        -  287 

"Good-bye," 294 


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GOD  TEACHES  THE  PARENT  BIRD  TO  CARE  FOR 
ITS  YOUNG 


FOREWORD 

U 

THESE  sermons  have  been  preached  at 
varying  intervals  of  several  months. 
They  have  come  from  the  heart  of  one 
who  has  intensely  loved  nature  from  a  boy,  who 
believes  and  has  always  believed  that  this  is 
God's  world,  that  He  thinks  enough  of  it  to 
make  it  His  winter-residence  and  summer-resi- 
dence alike,  that  He  is  always  at  home,  and  can 
be  found  in  it  by  one  who  seeks  to  know  Him ; 
and  that  as  God  teaches  the  parent  bird  to  care 
for  its  young,  to  protect  them  and  feed  them, 
so  will  He  teach  and  guide  and  protect  His 
children. 

These  sermons  are  sent  out  with  the  hope 
that  they  may  arouse  pleasant  memories  in  the 
minds  of  lovers  of  God's  world,  that  they  may 
stimulate  a  greater  love  for  God  and  His  world, 
and  that  they  may  help  some  to  find  Him  who 
somehow  may  have  come  mistakenly  to  believe 

13 


FOREWORD 

that  the  God  of  the  Bible,  the  Christian's  God, 
and  the  God  of  the  Universe  are  different  Be- 
ings. There  is  but  ONE  GOD,  whether  we 
worship  Him  in  church  or  in  field,  while  listen- 
ing to  singing  choir  or  singing  brook,  to  the 
voice  of  the  prophet  or  the  voice  of  the  stars. 


14 


GOOD  MORNING" 

Chickadee  at  Home 


INTRODUCTION 
0 

HUGH  MACMILLAN  has  shown  the 
depth  and  beauty  there  are  in  nature- 
interpretations  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
The  God  who  made  all  things  which  bear  the 
stamp  Good,  "and  God  saw  that  it  was  good," 
— that  God  will  have  pleasure  in  having  His 
Scriptures  interpreted  in  terms  of  the  wood  and 
the  wild  and  the  field. 

Besides,  this  is  no  longer  an  inference  since 
the  Christ  preached  in  our  town;  for  His 
method  was  so  flushed  with  the  dawn  and  rest- 
ful with  the  dusk  and  did  so  distil  the  meanings 
of  the  growing  things  and  the  foxes  and  the 
birds  and  the  smell  of  the  new-plowed  fields, 
He  made  a  picture-book  in  words  of  such  things 
as  call  the  open  sky  their  house. 

My  friend  Carpenter,  who  knows  so  much 
about  God's  wild  beasties  and  who  knows  the 
Christ  to  love  Him,  has  done  well  to  speak  with 
2  17 


INTRODUCTION 

picture  and  with  word  on  the  parables  of  God 
which  are  forever  present  in  the  Scriptures  of 
Written  Truth  and  in  the  scriptures  of  Nature. 
I  have  been  afield  with  him  and  have  been  at 
prayer  with  him,  and  know  he  cares  for  the 
whole  of  the  Kingdom  of  the  Heavenly  Father. 
Therefore,  welcome  this  volume.  May  it 
bring  forth  fruit  both  by  winter  and  by  summer, 
being  one  of  God's  perennials  which  shall  wear 
blossoms  and  ripened  fruit  together  all  the  year. 
William  A.  Quayle. 


18 


I 

THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

"My  beloved  spake  and  said  unto  Me,  Rise  up,  my  love, 
my  fair  one,  and  come  away.  For,  lo,  the  winter  is  past,  the 
rain  is  over  and  gone;  the  flowers  appear  on  the  earth;  the 
time  of  the  singing  of  birds  is  come,  and  the  voice  of  the 
turtledove  is  heard  in  our  land;  the  fig  tree  putteth  forth  her 
green  figs,  and  the  vines  with  the  tender  grape  give  a  good 
smell.  Arise,  my  love,  my  fair  one,  and  come  away.  .  .  . 
Let  us  get  up  early  to  the  vineyards;  let  us  see  if  the  vine 
flourish,  whether  the  tender  grape  appear,  and  the  pomegran- 
ates bud  forth.  .  .  .  The  mandrakes  give  a  smell,  and  at 
our  gates  are  all  manner  of  pleasant  fruits,  new  and  old." — 
Song  of  Solomon. 

"And  the  Lord  smelled  a  sweet  savor;  and  the  Lord  said 
in  His  heart,  I  will  not  again  curse  the  ground  any  more  for 
man's  sake;  for  the  imagination  of  man's  heart  is  evil  from 
his  youth;  neither  will  I  again  smite  any  more  every  thing 
living,  as  I  have  done.  While  the  earth  remaineth,  seedtime 
and  harvest,  and  cold  and  heat,  and  summer  and  winter,  and 
day  and  night  shall  not  cease." — Genesis  8:21,  22. 

"And  the  bow  shall  be  in  the  cloud;  and  I  will  look  upon 
it,  that  I  may  remember  the  everlasting  covenant  between  God 
and  every  living  creature  of  all  flesh  that  is  upon  the  earth." 
— Genesis  9: 16. 


"When  the  fig-tree  puts  forth  leaves." — Matthew  24:32. 
Or,    "When   the   wild   crab-apple   puts   forth   blossoms." — 
Author's  Revised  Version. 

IF  we  were  dwellers  in  Palestine  we  would 
stand  where  Jesus  stood  and  watch  the  un- 
folding of  the  draperies  of  the  fig  tree. 
Being  dwellers  elsewhere,  but  with  the  same 
spirit,  we  stand  entranced  by  the  beauties  of 
this  land,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  spirit  of 
the  springtime  our  hearts  are  filled  with  praise 
to  God.  There  is  an  epidemic  abroad  in  our 
land;  I  know  not  how  many  victims,  but  they 
are  legion;  and  if  our  prayers  are  offered  for 
the  ceasing  of  the  epidemic  of  foul  disease 
which  ravages  and  kills,  I  pray  for  the  spread 
of  this  epidemic  until  every  one  has  become  its 
victim;  and  as  a  result  of  this  fever  there  is 
prayer  and  worship  and  praise  to  God,  the 
Builder  of  the  world. 

It  is  an  epidemic  of  spring-fever,  and  a  thor- 
oughly   inoculated   victim    stands   before   you. 
21 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

Perhaps  some  of  you  will  think  you  hear  the 
ravings  of  a  disordered  brain.  My  thought, 
expressed  with  all  gentleness,  is  that  the  ailment, 
the  disorder,  is  in  the  brain  of  the  man  who 
can  walk  abroad  at  this  season  of  the  year  and 
not  be  bewitched  by  the  ravishing  enticements 
of  Nature. 

There  is  no  calendar  able  to  tell  when  spring 
will  come  any  more  than  it  can  tell  when  the 
measles  will  come.  In  both  cases  the  fevers  are 
catching  and  are  known  by  their  fruits.  A  man 
who  is  interested  enough  to  know  one  season 
from  another,  and  to  whom  it  makes  any  dif- 
ference when  spring  does  c.ome,  will  have  no 
difficulty  in  telling.  The  evidences  are  within 
him. 

Spring-fever  is  as  definite  a  disease  as  mea- 
sles and  much  more  pleasant.  I  have  had  both, 
and  speak  from  experience.  As  with  bodily  ills, 
this  fever  may  not  manifest  itself  at  the  same 
time  to  all  its  victims.  Some  catch  it  rather 
late  in  the  season;  but  if  so,  they  miss  some  of 
the  delightful  preliminary  stages.  It  is  of  these 
early  symptoms  that  I  speak  first. 

As  a  boy,  when  the  fever  came  on,  I  made 
22 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

whistles  from  slender  willows,  vented  my  spirits 
by  blasts  long  and  loud  that  would  send  the 
blue  jays  scurrying  from  the  crab-apple  thicket 
with  wild  cries  of  alarm,  and  I  cunningly  noted 


mum.®®®**  ^£4tf$fflm 

■  I'M—-'"  ■    *:           ""*        *     «        "■"'  ' 

WILD  CRAB-APPLE  BLOSSOMS 

the  tallest  of  the  willow-shoots  and  carefully 
spared  it  for  another  day.  But  already  in  imag- 
ination, I  saw  it  bending  from  the  frantic  en- 
deavors of  a  minnow — or  "shiner,"  in  boy  lan- 
guage— to  run  away  with  my  bobber.  If  I  were 
a  woman  it  would  manifest  itself  in  numberless 
23 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

plans  for  assaults  upon  the  dust  that  had  ac- 
cumulated during  the  winter  months.  Being  a 
man,  and  therefore  not  compelled  to  "ask  ma 
whether  I  can  go  a-fishinY'  or  to  ask  my  hus- 
band whether  I  may  clean  house,  with  his  as- 
sistance on  the  carpets,  with  light  heart  and  im- 
patient mood  I  wait  for  the  first  robin,  then 
blithely  snatch  my  cap  and  start  for — Oh !  any- 
where, away  from  houses  and  folks. 

The  robin  is  the  harbinger  of  spring  and  the 
forerunner  of  spring-fever,  and  therefore  I  seek 
first  for  him.  The  robin  is  a  gallant  gentleman 
(indeed,  most  birds  are)  and  does  not  ask  the 
lady  to  come  north  until  he  has  explored  the 
land.  I  admire  the  robin's  manner.  He  has 
a  jaunty  way  which  leads  us  to  believe  that  he 
knows  spring  is  on  the  way.  And  he  is  so  pert 
when  he  drops  down  upon  the  elm  branch  and 
carelessly  sings,  "Wake  up;  wake  up!  Spring 
is  coming,  coming,  coming,"  we  can  scarcely 
believe  that  he  has  made  a  long  journey  to 
bring  us  this  glad  news.  He  knows  from  ex- 
perience that  there  will  be  blustery  days  and  ice 
and  snow;  but  he  refuses  to  be  dismayed  or 
frightened,  and  sings  his  roundelay  so  merrily, 
24 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

"Cheer  up;  cheer  up!  Spring  is  coming,  com- 
ing, coming,"  that  he  makes  the  words  bubble 
to  my  lips,  "Cheer  up;  cheer  up!  What  does 
blustery  weather  amount  to,  anyhow?" 

I  thank  God  for  the  robin  in  the  early  spring; 
and  driven  by  the  spring-fever,  I  go  abroad  to 
look  for  the  bluebird.  It  has  been  banished 
from  our  yards  and  bird-boxes  by  the  ill-man- 
nered English  sparrow,  but  it  has  a  cheerful 
way  of  doing  the  best  it  can  under  the  circum- 
stances. Not  being  wanted  about  our  homes, 
it  has  taken  to  the  fields  and  fence-posts.  Out 
in  the  country  I  find  it.  This  winged  comrade 
of  mine  carries  the  blue  of  the  sky  upon  its 
back;  tinted,  we  may  easily  imagine  as  it  has 
made  its  way  through  the  blue  sky  from  the 
distant  South;  and  it  has  painted  its  breast  from 
the  same  terra-cotta  jar  the  robin  used.  And 
there  are  the  meadow-larks,  bearing  the  yellow 
of  the  dandelions  upon  their  throats,  and  the 
wild  ducks  circling  about  the  ponds,  and  the 
song  sparrow  announcing  its  arrival  from  the 
topmost  twig  of  the  pussy  willow. 

On  a  southern  slope  T  bask  in  the  sun  and 
watch  the  mud  turtles  crawling  out  of  the  cold 
25 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

waters  onto  an  old  log,  that  they  too  may  bask 
in  the  sun.  They  remind  me  of  the  village 
street-corner  where  men  are  basking  on  dry- 
goods  boxes  or  lazily  leaning  against  the  warm 
side  of  buildings.  Work  does  not  suffer  at  their 
hands,  either  men  or  turtles ;  but  probably  noth- 
ing else  will.  I  pick  up  a  turtle  as  it  is  crawl- 
ing to  another  pond,  and  note  the  picture  on 
the  under  shell,  and  the  brilliant  lines  of  red 
and  yellow,  and  marvel  at  the  generosity  of 
God  in  dealing  out  the  beautiful  colors  to  the 
humblest  creatures.  How  is  the  turtle  able  to 
find  its  way  from  pond  to  pond  without  com- 
pass and  without  getting  lost?  It  may  satisfy 
some  to  say  that  God  created  the  creature  that 
way,  which  is  true;  but  others  will  ask  how  it 
has  been  done,  and  in  what  way  do  these  powers 
manifest  themselves;  and  they  add  to  the 
world's  store  of  knowledge  through  this  spirit 
of  investigation. 

Driven  by  the  frenzy  of  this  early  spring- 
fever,  I  am  searching  for  the  first  flowers:  in 
the  marshy  land  the  brown  pod  of  the  skunk 
cabbage,  encasing  a  thick  head  bearing  numer- 
ous tiny  blossoms,  crowds  through  the  earth, 
26 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

preceding  the  huge  heart-shaped  leaves;  and 
the  marsh  marigold  with  its  cluster  of  kidney- 
shaped  leaves  and  loved  by  country  folk  for 
"greens,"  opens  many  tufts  of  golden  flowers. 
On  the  rocky  bluffs  are  the  hepaticas,  delicate 
blossoms  of  varying  tints  of  white  and  pink  and 
purple;  in  the  thicket  along  the  old  rail-fence, 
the  bloodroot,  as  delicate  as  an  invalid  maid; 
in  the  woods,  the  anemones  and  spring  beauty; 
on  the  gravel-bank,  the  windflower,  anemone 
too,  but  wearing  its  name  gracefully  as  it  sways 
in  the  breeze.  And  while  the  search  continues, 
new  ones  are  coming  on :  buttercups  and  violets 
and  trilliums  and  adder's  tongues;  and  the  pro- 
cession seems  endless  and  is  endless.  As  we 
watch  them  pass  we  give  our  word  of  praise 
to  the  early  blossoms  that  have  pushed  their 
way  through  the  cold  ground  and  dead  leaves, 
and  have  defied  the  chilling  winds  and  flurries 
of  snow.  And  we  give  a  word  of  praise  to 
God,  who  has  made  the  blossoms  and  who  has 
sent  us  abroad  this  day. 

Spring  is  coming,  always  coming.     The  spirit 
of  adventure  is  in  the  air;  and  as  one  gets  in 
touch  with  the  great  world  ?.bout  him,  the  spirit 
27 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

of  adventure — to  dare  and  to  do — takes  pos- 
session of  a  man,  and  he  is  more  of  a  man  than 
when  he  grabbed  his  hat  and  started  afield  at 
the  call  of  the  robin  and  the  spring-fever.  The 
fever  ebbs  and  flows,  but  is  so  pronounced  this 
May  day  that  we  must  go  abroad  again,  for- 
getting, if  we  can,  these  pews  and  walls  and 
vaulted  arches,  and  seeing  rather  the  aisles  and 
arches  of  the  leafy  temples  of  the  forest. 

When  the  wild  crab-apple  puts  forth  blos- 
soms the  trees  are  in  various  stages  of  robing 
themselves  for  the  summer's  journey.  Some 
seem  to  have  forgotten  the  call  of  May,  the 
branches  are  so  bare  and  ungainly.  Others  have 
lately  aroused,  and  now  a  delicate  pink  blush 
suffuses  the  more  tardy  oaks,  while  others  are 
putting  on  a  dress  of  yellow-green;  and  almost 
while  we  look  we  can  see  the  yellow  fading  into 
deeper  green.  When  the  wild  crab-apple  puts 
forth  blossoms  it  is  helping  to  adorn  the  woods 
as  the  streets  of  the  city  are  decorated  for  some 
festive  occasion.  The  thorn-apple  assists  with 
blossoms  of  snowy  whiteness,  and  blossoms  so 
numerous  that  one  would  fain  believe  some  lin- 
gering gust  of  winter  day  had  whirled  a  million 
28 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

snowflakes  about  the  tree;  and  the  redbud  or 
Judas  tree,  unwilling  to  be  outdone,  not  wait- 
ing for  the  leaves  to  unfurl,  arrays  itself  in  tints 
of  reddish-purple. 

But  the  wild  crab  is  not  satisfied  with  one 
tone,  however  handsome  it  may  be.  It  paints 
the  flower-leaves  with  white  and  pearl  and  pink 
and  red  in  such  exquisite  shadings,  and  sub- 
merges them  all  in  such  a  sea  of  perfume, 
through  which  one  wades,  by  which  one  is 
drenched,  as  he  comes  near  to  the  color-display, 
that  he  is  intoxicated  by  the  very  beauty,  the 
very  fragrance.  And  the  flowers,  more  modest 
in  stature  than  the  trees  but  more  persistently 
numerous,  are  adding  beauty  and  grace  and  life 
to  the  scene;  anemones  and  shooting-stars,  puc- 
coon  and  phlox  and  columbine,  colored  pink  and 
white  and  red  and  yellow  are  lending  variety 
and  gayety  to  the  landscape.  When  the  wild 
crab-apple  puts  forth  blossoms,  the  birds  are 
trooping  through  its  branches,  trooping  through 
the  forests.  Describe  them?  Why,  if  one 
were  to  gather  great  handfuls  of  dandelion 
blossoms  and  bluebells  and  tulips  and  wake- 
robins,  and  throw  them  hither  and  thither 
29 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

among  the  branches,  he  would  not  add  new  or 
more  color  than  is  already  there  because  the 
birds  are  there:  grosbeak  and  tanager,  towhee 
and  wood  thrush,  and  warblers  with  yellow  and 
red  and  black,  with  blue  and  white,  with  orange 
as  bright  as  morning-dawn,  with  brown  as  deep 
as  chestnut-stain. 

Perhaps  now  that  the  wild  crab-apple  has  put 
forth  blossoms,  the  spring-fever  is  at  its  height, 
and  bewildered  and  delirious  the  victim  throws 
himself  beneath  its  branches  and  scarcely 
breathes  as  he  listens  to  the  avian  May  festival. 
It  is  morning.  During  the  night  the  carpet  of 
green  has  been  washed  by  the  falling  rain,  and 
now  it  is  vivid  in  brightness  of  green,  set  with 
limpid  drops  of  water  shining  like  silvery  jewels. 
About  him  and  overhead  the  trees  are  breaking 
the  sunlight  into  flecks  and  scattering  them  on 
the  ground.  Behind  him  the  brook  is  dancing 
down  the  riffles,  playing  with  pebbles,  working 
itself  into  foamed  frenzy  as  it  uselessly  beats 
against  the  rough-shouldered  boulder,  tossing 
some  stray  leaf  as  the  waves  of  the  sea  toss  the 
fisherman's  boat,  and  the  music  of  the  water  is 
throbbing  in  the  background.  The  oriole  is  the 
30 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

master  of  ceremonies,  and  while  his  orange-and- 
black  cap  and  robe  flash  among  the  branches  he 
mounts  a  twig  and  gives  the  trumpet-call  to 
song.  The  soloists  respond:  the  catbird  from 
yonder  thicket  of  thorny  gooseberries,  the  wood 
thrush  hiding  behind  the  hazel-brush,  the  rose- 
ate grosbeak  from  the  willow,  the  brown 
thrasher  from  the  swaying  elm;  and  there  are 
the  choruses,  the  gurgling  notes  of  blackbirds, 
the  batlike  notes  of  goldfinches,  the  silvery- 
belled  notes  of  bobolinks,  and  the  choruses  of 
warblers  with  dripping  tones  falling  from  the 
leafy  foliage  as  thickly  as  the  great  drops  of 
rain  that  fall  like  tinkling  bells  on  the  leaves 
of  the  trees.  And  the  music  is  not  sweeter  and 
more  resplendent  than  the  robes  they  wear. 

After  a  time  he  may  stagger  to  his  feet,  may 
make  his  way  homeward;  but  I  mistake  if  there 
has  not  crowded  in  upon  him  the  sense  of  over- 
whelming, abounding  life.  The  streams  are 
leaping  with  the  accumulated  energy  of  winter, 
and  the  banks  will  hardly  contain  the  whirling, 
swerving  waters.  The  trees  seem  full  to  over- 
flowing with  life,  so  superabundant  it  must  find 
a  way  out  through  twig  and  leaf.  The  birds 
31 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

are  full  to  overflowing  with  life;  it  must  find  a 
way  out  through  quiver  of  wing  and  flitting  of 
tail,  and  swelling  throats  that  can  not  hold  all 
the  music  and  rhapsody  contained — it  spills  out 
like  bubbling  waters  from  the  spring.  I  mis- 
take if  one  does  not  return  in  religious  mood 
with  an  overwhelming  sense  of  the  nearness  of 
God,  the  energy  of  God,  the  activity  of  God. 
All  that  God  is  doing  is  so  fertile,  so  produc- 
tive, so  growing,  so  bubbling  over  with  life; 
God  is  so  near,  so  present,  so  crowding  into  all 
things  He  has  made  and  through  all  things  He 
has  made,  that  instinctively  I  find  myself  rec- 
ognizing Him  in  my  life,  feeling  that  He  be- 
longs in  my  life,  acknowledging  Him  as  my 
Maker  and  Keeper  and  Master. 

I  can  see  how  some  might  not  be  brought 
to  religious  mood  in  the  summer  time  when  the 
sun  burns  with  fiery  rays,  and  the  heat  is  op- 
pressive, and  the  dry  dust  stifles  the  nostrils, 
though  there  is  evidence  enough  here  of  God 
for  those  who  are  not  so  easily  disturbed  by 
these  superficials.  I  can  see  how  some  might 
not  be  made  religious  by  the  autumn  when  the 
sky  is  drear  with  cloud  and  fog,  and  the  shiver- 
32 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

ing  wind  pierces  to  the  very  marrow,  and  the 
fields  are  brown  and  the  leaves  are  dead  and 
the  flowers  are  withered,  killed  by  the  frost. 
I  can  see  how  some  might  not  be  thrown  into 
religious  mood  by  the  biting,  stinging  wind  of 
winter  that  nips  the  cheek  and  nose,  that  drives 
the  frost  against  the  window-panes  until  we 
can  not  look  out  upon  the  abandoned  world, 
that  drives  the  snow  in  great  banks  across  the 
streets  and  roads,  and  piles  it  about  our  doors 
so  that  we  can  scarcely  plow  our  ways  through 
and  would  fain  sit  by  the  fireside,  though  there 
is  ecstasy  enough  in  each  of  these  seasons  for 

.    .    .   "him   who   in   the    love   of   Nature    holds 
Communion    with    her    visible    forms;"   .    .    . 

but  it  seems  to  me  that  a  man  is  without  mind 
and  heart  who  is  not  moved  to  God  in  the 
spring  time,  when  the  wild  crab-apple  puts  forth 
its  blossoms  and  the  redbud  blooms  by  the 
swollen  waters:  mind  given  by  God  that  a  man 
may  measure  himself  alongside  of  the  abound- 
ing energy  and  life  of  God  everywhere  revealed 
in  the  spring  time;  mind  given  of  God  so  that 
we  are  able  to  seek  after  Him  and  find  Him 
and  know  Him  and  be  grateful  for  His  com- 
3  33 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

panionship;  heart  given  of  God  that  we  may 
measure  up  toward  the  glory  of  things;  that  we 
may  be  stirred  to  laughter,  to  ecstasy,  to  poetry, 
to  music,  to  wonder,  to  worship;  and  that  we 
may  cry  out,  "O  Mighty  One,  I  have  love  for 
the  world  Thou  hast  made,  and  for  Thee,  the 
Maker  of  the  world,  love  surpassing  the  love 
of  man  for  woman." 

Nature  is  a  revealer  of  God;  and  to  the 
theologian  who  thinks  his  craft  is  the  inter- 
preter of  God  and  who  scoffs  at  Nature's  teach- 
ings or  ignores  them,  I  say  that  Nature  is  a 
better,  more  certain,  more  authoritative  teacher 
of  great  principles  of  God  than  he  is.  I  do 
not  trust  theology.  Oh!  I  trust  my  own;  for 
it  is  an  honest  attempt  on  my  part  to  frame 
words  that  will  tell  of  the  relations  existing  or 
that  might  exist  between  my  God  and  myself. 
Other  theologians,  professional  or  laymen,  I 
assume,  are  equally  honest;  but  they  present 
such  different  ideas,  I  am  confused  by  their  en- 
deavors at  times.  How  many  pictures  of  the 
Madonna  or  the  Christ  there  are !  what  differ- 
ent interpretations  there  have  been ! — and  none 
has  told  the  whole  story,  has  given  the  per- 
34 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

feet  likeness.  I  trust  the  love  that  is  in  the 
heart  of  the  man  who  draws  the  portrait  of 
God;  yes,  I  will  trust  the  love  that  is  in  the 
heart  of  the  pagan;  but  I  do  not  fully  trust 


THE  REDBUD   BLOOMS   BY  THE  SWOLLEN 
WATERS 


his  judgment,  his  knowledge.  I  do  not  impute 
the  motive,  I  impute  the  results  that  spring 
from  imperfect  knowledge. 

What  blunders  and  crimes  have  been  com- 
mitted in  the  name  of  theology !     Folks  have 

35 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

mutilated  their  bodies  by  rites  of  circumcision 
until  they  could  not  defend  their  firesides.  Chil- 
dren have  been  offered  in  sacrifice  to  the  leap- 
ing flames  or  the  greedy  waters.  Man  by  pre- 
destination has  been  robbed  of  his  chance  to 
make  his  peace  with  God;  and  babes  snatched 
from  their  mothers'  arms  in  all  the  sweetness 
and  innocence  and  helplessness  of  babyhood,  un- 
baptized,  have  been  committed  to  the  world  of 
lost  spirits.  What  crimes  have  been  committed 
in  the  name  of  the  Church !  The  Sanhedrin  is- 
sued its  decrees  against  Jesus  and  sent  Him  to 
the  cross;  Diana's  followers  cried  out  against 
the  Christians  of  their  day  and  mobbed  them; 
the  Pope  of  the  Roman  Church  has  anathema- 
tized men,  and  that  Church  has  passed  sentence 
of  death  upon  many;  the  Puritans,  ushering  in 
a  new  and  better  reign  of  morality,  issued  their 
decrees  against  the  Quakers  and  persecuted 
them;  the  Episcopalians  ridiculed  and  opposed 
the  work  of  the  Methodists  in  their  early  day, 
and  the  Methodists  ridiculed  and  opposed  the 
work  of  the  Salvation  Army  in  its  early  day. 
This  is  no  argument  against  God:  it  is  an 
argument  against  the  imputed  perfect  wisdom 
36 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

of  man.  It  is  no  argument  against  the  Church 
or  theology :  it  is  an  argument  against  the  wrong 
use  and  arrogant  claims  of  these.  A  razor  is  es- 
sential for  the  happiness  and  pleasing  appear- 
ance of  man :  but  suicides  have  been  committed 
with  it.  Gas  is  a  blessing  in  the  lighting  of  our 
homes  and  preparing  of  our  meals:  but  it  has 
destroyed  the  food  and  burned  the  house  when 
improperly  used.  The  theologian  and  the 
Church  are  necessary  for  the  advancement  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Christ  in  the  hearts  of  men : 
but  they  have  missed  their  calling  at  times. 
Galileo  was  a  helpful  man,  fighting  God's  bat- 
tles for  truth  in  the  human  mind:  but  he  was 
woefully  misunderstood  and  abused  by  the  the- 
ologians of  his  day.  God  has  been  misrepre- 
sented and  His  cause  has  run  with  lame  and 
halting  feet  because  of  imperfect  man,  some- 
times ignorant,  sometimes  overzealous,  and 
sometimes  cruelly  ambitious  and  selfish. 

Theology  is  not  the  speaking  of  God  to  man, 
though  it  is  often  so  understood.  The  Bible  is 
God  speaking  to  man,  the  Holy  Spirit  is  God 
speaking  to  man,  conscience  is  God  speaking  to 
man,  nature  is  God  speaking  to  man;  theology 
37 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

is  man  talking  about  God,  speculating  about 
God;  and  because  man  is  imperfect  and  igno- 
rant it  is  mistaken  and  imperfect,  and  will 
change  and  continue  to  change  as  the  mingled 
dawn  and  dark  of  the  morning  twilight  change 
into  the  perfect  day.  Let  us  be  grateful  for 
every  honest  endeavor  of  man  to  learn  about 
God,  and  to  tell  us  with  all  the  wisdom  of  mind 
and  fervor  of  heart  he  possesses  about  God;  but 
let  him  not  endeavor  to  supplant  other  sources 
of  knowledge  concerning  God  with  the  the- 
ology he  has  built,  however  helpful  it  may  be. 
When  the  wild  crab-apple  puts  forth  blossoms 
the  world  is  revealing  God  as  mighty  Creator. 
It  is  saying  what  it  has  said  every  day  since  it 
came  into  being,  "In  the  beginning,  God."  In 
the  midst  of  the  changing,  building,  growing 
world  a  man  is  transported  to  those  first  days 
sketched  and  outlined  on  the  first  pages  of  the 
Bible.  He  sees  the  building  of  the  heavens,  the 
building  of  the  sun,  the  building  of  the  earth, 
the  finishing  of  the  earth  as  the  carpenter  fin- 
ishes the  dwelling-house,  until  there  are  land 
and  sea,  mountains  and  valleys,  forests  and 
plains,  waving  grass  and  waving  fronds  of  ferns 
38 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

and  waving  branches  of  palm  trees,  and  animals 
that  creep  and  fly  and  run;  and  he,  amazed 
and  dumb  and  awe-stricken  in  the  presence  of 
it,  sees  God,  the  mighty  God,  the  Master- 
Builder.  He  reads,  "God  made  every  tree  to 
grow,"  and  as  he  sees  the  springing  trees  put- 
ting forth  leafage  and  blossoms  and  fruit  he 
bows  to  God,  the  mighty  God.  If  he  listens 
too  much  to  the  word  of  some  man  he  may 
shut  his  eyes  and  say  that  after  God  worked 
for  a  few  days  He  rested ;  He  finished  the  world, 
He  started  it  going,  and  then  went  away  and 
has  never  come  back  to  look  after  it.  But  if 
he  is  a  wise  man,  when  the  wild  crab-apple  puts 
forth  blossoms  he  will  make  it  a  visit,  will  look 
at  the  growing  trees,  swelling  waters,  flitting 
birds,  blossoming  flowers,  humming  bees;  and 
as  he  sees  these  things  coming  into  being,  and 
growing  into  larger  being,  again  will  he  be 
amazed  and  dumb  and  awe-stricken,  and  in  the 
presence  of  it  he  will  see  God,  the  mighty  God, 
the  PRESENT  Master-Builder. 

Nature  shows  that  God  is  at  work  NOW. 
He  works  nights  as  well  as  days,  Sundays  as 
well  as  week-days.     There  is  as  much  rain  and 
39 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

sunshine  and  singing  of  birds  and  building  of 
their  nests  while  we  worship  as  while  we  toil  in 
the  shop  or  field.  And  have  you  not  heard 
the  corn  growing  during  the  night?  and  have 
you  not  seen  the  leaves  unfurled  with  the  com- 
ing of  the  dawn  as  banners  are  unfurled  by  the 
breeze?  Here  is  no  excuse  for  man.  Here  is 
no  argument  against  the  Sabbath  day  or  the 
eight-hour  law.  Man  is  not  built  on  a  twenty- 
four-hour  schedule  or  a  seven-day-a-week  plan. 
He  needs  a  portion  of  the  day  for  other  work 
than  his  regular  job :  for  the  home,  society,  self- 
improvement.  He  needs  the  Sabbath  for  rest 
and  worship,  the  reading  and  study  of  the  Bible, 
more  uninterrupted  communion  with  God,  at- 
tendance upon  church-services,  doing  of  acts  of 
mercy.  If  man  finds  his  highest  joy  in  jaunts 
to  parks  and  out-of-door  pleasures,  then  he  is 
merely  an  animal,  a  beast  of  the  field. 

But  nature  is  not  an  end  in  itself,  is  not  the 
highest  aim  of  man:  it  is  the  revealer  of  God; 
and  it  shows  Him  always  interested,  always 
present  with  and  always  caring  for  the  things 
He  has  made.  It  denies  that  He  is  dead  or 
sleeping  or  gone  upon  a  journey.  If  my  heart 
40 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

aches  because  of  the  burdens  and  disappoint- 
ments of  life,  as  I  look  upon  Him  busied  with 
His  creatures,  He  comes  into  my  heart 

"With  a  mild  and  healing  sympathy,  that  steals  away 
Its  sharpness,  ere  I  am  aware." 

Yes,  the  Lord  rested  then,  and  He  rests  now; 
His  strength  is  so  boundless,  His  burden  is  so 
light,  there  is  such  joy  in  His  labor,  such  cer- 
tainty of  the  perfect  work  that  shall  one  day 
have  proceeded  forth  from  His  hands.  As  I 
see  Him  in  His  world  I  cry  out  in  wonder: 
"O  Lord,  how  manifold  are  Thy  works!  In 
wisdom  hast  Thou  made  them  all;  the  earth  is 
full  of  Thy  riches." 

Nature  suggests  and  proves  God.  I  know 
some  of  the  technical  playing  with  words  by 
which  philosophers  may  confuse  us  and  assert 
that  it  is  impossible  to  prove  God.  Maybe  so; 
but  I  know  the  satisfaction  of  my  own  mind 
and  heart  that  can  not  be  taken  away  with 
technical  subterfuges.  I  speak  to  the  common, 
hard-thinking  man,  and  say  that  Nature  will 
strongly  argue  for  God  and  prove  God.  Here 
is  revealed  matchless  comprehension  that  runs 
41 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

into  perfect  wisdom.     I  am  sure  this  is  God's 
world;  there  is  so  much  of  it. 

There  was  a  time  when  I  might  have  named 
several  hundred  plants  growing  about  here,  giv- 
ing common  and  scientific  names;  but  most  of 
the  names  have  gone  and  many  of  the  faces 
have  become  strangers  to  me,  so  that  I  do  not 
recognize  those  that  once  were  friends,  when 
I  meet  them  in  the  woodland  or  meadow  or 
marsh.  My  mind  is  so  small  and  feeble  that 
other  things  coming  in  have  demanded  and  have 
taken  the  room.  Now  assume  what  has  never 
existed:  a  human  brain  big  enough  to  carry  all 
the  names  of  all  the  plants  that  grow  in  every 
corner  of  the  world,  and  to  know  something  of 
their  habits  and  their  processes  of  growth;  it 
would  be  in  dense  ignorance  of  other  depart- 
ments of  thought  and  knowledge.  But  a  human 
brain  does  not  exist  big  enough  so  that  we  would 
think  of  imputing  comprehension  to  it  even  of 
the  plant-world.  It  may  be  suggestive  of  such 
a  brain,  but  nothing  more;  it  may  bear  resem- 
blance to  a  brain  mighty  enough  to  comprehend 
all  things,  as  the  brain  of  a  babe  that  has  grown 
enough  so  that  it  recognizes  its  mother's  face 
42 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

bears  resemblance  to  the  brain  of  a  Blaine  or  a 
La  Follette  who  recognizes  the  faces  of  count- 
less people.  But  as  I  look  upon  this  world  I 
say  that  who  is  Creator  of  it  must  have  a  mind 
big  enough  to  number  and  name  all  the  stars 
and  flowers  and  beetles  and  birds  and  all  things 
that  are  made,  and  not  only  to  name  them  but 
to  know  about  them,  whence  they  came,  how 
they  live  and  grow  and  multiply,  and  whither 
they  are  going.  I  am  in  the  presence  of  Match- 
less Comprehension,  I  am  in  the  presence  of 
God. 

I  am  sure  this  is  God's  world  because  of  the 
Skill  displayed  in  it.  Now,  I  am  not  ignorant 
of  man's  devices;  I  glory  in  his  progress,  and 
I  believe  that  he  will  go  on  to  the  heights  as 
he  learns  more  of  God  and  His  world;  but 
how  bungling  in  comparison  with  the  skill  dis- 
played by  God  in  the  world  He  has  made. 
Only  this  week  I  marveled  at  man's  inventive- 
ness displayed  by  the  welcome  given  to  the  com- 
mander of  our  battleships  by  the  fleet  which 
awaited  him,  having  been  warned  of  his  com- 
ing by  the  weird  power  of  wireless  telegraphy. 
And  yet,  how  complicated  it  is !  The  operator 
43 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

must  be  on  duty;  must  have  his  equipment 
properly,  skillfully  adjusted  (how  easily  it  gets 
out  of  order!)  ;  must  catch  the  waves  of  ether 
and  translate  them  into  language  and  transmit 
them  to  proper  authorities.  These,  in  turn, 
must  issue  orders,  must  have  certain  sign-flags 
hung  out ;  they  must  be  seen  by  the  lookouts  on 
other  ships,  and  translated  and  reported  to  the 
officers,  who  in  turn  must  issue  orders.  Finally, 
and  it  is  wonderful,  the  fleet  is  deployed  to  wel- 
come the  vessel  of  the  commander  who  tele- 
graphed his  coming.  But  how  bungling  in 
comparison  with  the  flocks  of  birds  God  has 
made,  who  somehow  can  instantaneously  com- 
municate their  thoughts  from  leader  to  every 
bird  in  the  great  flock,  so  that  every  order  is 
executed  in  faultless  fashion.  The  phonograph, 
marking  one  of  man's  great  achievements,  is  a 
wonderful  instrument,  catching,  making  im- 
pressions of,  giving  forth  again  the  sounds  as 
they  have  come  to  it  from  human  throat;  but 
who  would  think  of  comparing  it  to  the  catbird 
that  God  has  made  with  mechanism  so  delicate, 
and  what  is  much  more,  with  spirit  so  exuberant 
and  overflowing  that  it  mounts  the  bush  and  fills 
44 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

the  air  with  its  perfect  sweetness.  The  printing- 
press,  taking  the  raw,  blank  paper  and  giving 
it  forth  printed  and  folded  and  bound,  is  a  won- 
derful mechanism;  but  how  crude  as  compared 
to  the  living  organism  with  lungs  and  heart, 
with  brain  and  sensory  organs.  I  do  not  de- 
grade man:  he  has  done  marvelous  things;  but 
I  exalt  God,  the  Maker  of  man  and  Inspirer  of 
man  and  all  that  is. 

I  am  sure  of  God  because  of  life  and  growth. 
In  the  presence  of  these  we  are  in  utter  igno- 
rance. Oh!  we  can  tell  something  of  the  ap- 
pearance, the  conduct,  the  manners  of  life  and 
growth;  but  in  their  finalities  they  are  utterly 
nonunderstandable.  Now,  if  we  knew  all  of  the 
processes  of  life  and  in  what  fashion  it  came 
to  be,  we  should  not  eliminate  God  as  Creator : 
we  would  simply  understand  a  little  better  how 
He  did  things;  they  betray  a  superhuman 
Power.  As  I  stand  in  the  presence  of  these 
things  and  see  the  ebbing  and  swelling  of  life 
and  other  forms  of  Nature's  display,  and  see 
in  them  the  eternal,  immutable  God,  and  recog- 
nize my  relationship  to  Him,  eternity  and  im- 
mortality become  more  certain  and  more  real. 
45 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

The  eternal  God  is  the  beginning  and  the  end 
of  all  things;  the  world  is  growing  up  to  the 
goal  which  He  has  planned  for  it;  the  eternal 
God  is  the  goal  of  man;  toward  Him  we  aspire, 
toward  Him  we  run  or  climb.  This  world  with 
all  that  it  contains,  and  man  with  all  his  powers 
endowed  to  have  dominion  over  the  world,  is  an 
evidence  of  God's  purpose  and  love. 

So,  this  May  day,  as  I  look  at  the  beauty  of 
the  crab-apple  blossoms  that  adorn  these  tables 
in  the  sanctuary,  and  as  I  revel  in  the  fragrance 
that  comes  from  these  dainty  blossoms  and  per- 
meates this  temple  like  the  incense  of  old,  I 
praise  God  for  the  world  He  has  made  and 
beautified  and  adorned  with  flower  and  'bird, 
and  I  thank  Him  for  the  love  He  bears  the 
children  of  men  as  shown  in  providing  them 
with  this  wonderful  home,  and  I  thank  Him  for 
the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  who  came  with 
abounding  life,  perfect  life,  and  matchless  love, 
that  He  might  find  us  and  show  us  the  way  to 
knowledge  of  God  and  faith  and  trust  and 
companionship.  When  I  stand  in  the  midst  of 
the  wild  crab-apple  blossoms  I  do  not  stand 
alone.  Nearer  than  the  color  and  fragrance  of 
46 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 

the  flowers,  "nearer  than  breathing,  nearer  than 
hands  and  feet,"  is  my  blessed  Master,  my 
Christ  who  walks  abroad  with  me  and  helps 
me  to  know  the  world  and  love  the  world;  for 
it  is  His  and  I  am  His,  and  He  is  mine. 


47 


II 

NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF 
JOB 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

"In  the  beginning,  God  created  the  heaven  and  the  earth. 
And  the  earth  was  without  form,  and  void;  and  darkness 
was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep.  And  the  Spirit  of  God  moved 
upon  the  face  of  the  waters.  And  God  said,  Let  there  be 
light:  and  there  was  light.  And  God  saw  the  light  that  it 
was  good:  and  God  divided  the  light  from  the  darkness. 
And  God  said,  Let  there  be  a  firmament  in  the  midst  of  the 
waters,  and  let  it  divide  the  waters  from  the  waters.  And 
God  made  the  firmament,  and  divided  the  waters  which 
were  under  the  firmament  from  the  waters  which  were 
above  the  firmament:  and  it  was  so.  And  God  said,  Let  the 
waters  under  the  heaven  be  gathered  together  unto  one  place, 
and  let  the  dry  land  appear:  and  it  was  so.  And  God  said, 
Let  the  earth  bring  forth  grass,  the  herb  yielding  seed,  and 
the  fruit  tree  yielding  fruit  after  his  kind,  whose  seed  is  in 
itself,  upon  the  earth:  and  it  was  so.  And  God  said,  Let  us 
make  man  in  Our  image,  after  Our  likeness:  and  let  them 
have  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the 
air,  and  over  the  cattle,  and  over  all  the  earth,  and  over  every 
creeping  thing  that  crcepeth  upon  the  earth.  So  God  created 
man  in  His  own  image,  in  the  image  of  God  created  He  him; 
male  and  female  created  He  them.  And  God  blessed  them, 
and  God  said  unto  them,  Be  fruitful  and  multiply,  and  re- 
plenish the  earth,  and  subdue  it:  and  have  dominion  over  the 
fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  over  every 
living  thing  that  moveth  upon  the  earth.  And  God  said,  Be- 
hold, I  have  given  you  every  herb  bearing  seed,  which  is 
upon  the  face  of  all  the  earth,  and  every  tree,  in  the  which 
is  the  fruit  of  a  tree  yielding  seed;  to  you  it  shall  be  for 
meat.  And  to  every  beast  of  the  earth,  and  to  every  fowl  of 
the  air,  and  to  every  thing  that  creepeth  upon  the  earth, 
wherein  there  is  life,  I  have  given  every  green  herb  for 
meat:  and  it  was  so.  And  God  saw  every  thing  that  He  had 
made,  and,  behold,  it  was  very  good." — Genesis  i. 


II 


"Where  wast  thou   when   I   laid  the   foundations  of   the 
earth?" — Job  38:4. 

GOD  is  spokesman,  Job  is  listener,  and 
the  text  is  from  a  dialogue  in  the  Book 
of  Job,  with  God  and  man  as  speakers. 
This  is  one  of  the  great  books  of  the  Bible. 
If  the  novelist  tells  us  that  the  essentials  of  a 
good  story  are  a  distinguished  hero,  plenty  of 
excitement,  difficulty  and  uncertainty,  and  a  suc- 
cessful termination  of  the  hero's  career,  the  con- 
ditions are  here  fulfilled.  As  literature,  this 
drama  with  its  choice  language  and  stirring  ac- 
tion is  worthy  of  a  place  among  the  world's 
notable  writings,  for  it  deals  with  the  deepest 
issues  of  life.  And  the  man  who  is  concerned 
about  the  relationship  that  exists  or  ought  to 
exist  between  God  and  man  finds  here  much 
food  for  thought.  As  a  story,  as  literature,  as 
philosophy,  as  a  religious  work,  it  is  a  great 
book,  worthy  of  the  place  it  occupies  in  the 
"Book  of  books." 

51 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

But  it  has  not  held  and  does  not  hold  its 
place  without  contention  and  debate.  With  the 
possible  exception  of  the  Book  of  Jonah,  there 
is  perhaps  no  other  in  the  Bible  that  has  been 
the  center  of  such  bitter  discussion,  the  subject 
of  so  many  harsh  accusations.  It  reminds  me 
of  some  mighty  rock  along  the  North  Atlantic 
Coast.  Standing  on  the  shore-line  with  crags 
and  woods  behind  it,  thrusting  defiantly  into  the 
ocean,  rearing  its  majestic  form  above  land  and 
sea,  it  might  be  such  a  scene  of  beauty,  it  might 
inspire  such  repose  and  peace.  But  this  is  al- 
ways denied  by  the  surrounding  elements. 
Often  the  clouds  gather  about  its  brow,  and 
break  in  snow  or  rain,  and  the  fog  seems  always 
there.  If  there  are  moments  when  the  fog  is 
lifting  and  the  sun  is  about  to  enkindle  the  place 
with  its  brightness,  the  fog  gathers  again,  more 
densely  than  before,  and  comes  rolling  in  to 
obscure  the  view.  Often  the  fierce  winds  drive 
across  the  seas,  and  the  huge  waves,  sullen,  gray 
and  somber,  smite  against  the  rock  with  blows 
of  Titan's  fists.  And  always  the  rough  waters 
are  growling  and  gnawing  at  the  rock's  foun- 
dation. And  one  hears  the  poet's  word: 
52 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

"Break,   break,   break 

At  the  foot  of  thy  crags,  O  Sea! 
But  the  tender  grace  of  a  day  that  is  dead 
Will  never  come  back  to  me." 

The  day  is  dead  because  of  cloud  and  fog  and 
wind  and  wave.  So  for  many  generations  this 
book  has  been  the  center  of  acrimonious  debate, 
the  subject  of  bitter  attacks,  of  heated  contro- 
versy, and  has  been  wrapped  in  fogs  of  obscure 
and  involved  meaning.  Its  right  to  a  place  in 
the  Bible  has  been  denied.  The  argument  is 
something  like  this :  Job  was  not  a  Jew.  He 
lived  in  the  land  of  Uz,  lying  somewhere  to 
the  southeast  of  Palestine,  and  was  perhaps  a 
Sabean  or  Chaldean.  Now,  the  Bible,  or  the 
Old  Testament  particularly,  is  a  history  of  God's 
dealings  with  the  Jews.  -They  are  His  chosen 
people,  and  it  is  the  baldest  effrontery  for  any- 
body not  a  Jew  to  have  a  place  claimed  for  him 
in  that  Book. 

It  is  the  same  argument  to  which  we  have 
been  listening  during  these  recent  days.  Word 
has  gone  out  that  President  Taft  expects  to  ap- 
point a  certain  Boston  lawyer  as  one  of  the 
Federal  attorneys.  Immediately  there  is  a  pro- 
test, but  not  against  the  man's  ability.  He  is 
53 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

amply  proficient  in  his  profession;  he  will  be, 
able  to  safeguard  the  Government's  interests  as 
entrusted  to  him,  with  credit.  His  reputation 
is  unsullied.  He  is  an  honorable  man.  Why 
then  the  protest?  "Why,  he  is  a  black  man, 
and  black  men  have  no  right  to  know  law  and 
have  brains  and  be  honorable.  These  distinc- 
tions God  has  given  to  the  white  race,  and  the 
black  man  is  a  usurper  and  an  intruder."  Now, 
if  the  argument  is  sound,  of  course  the  same 
reasoning  will  eliminate  the  Book  of  Job  from 
the  Old  Testament;  but  if  ability  is  to  be  the 
measure  of  a  man's  rank,  and  if  every  man  is 
to  have  a  chance  to  show  his  worth  and  ability, 
and  if  the  Bible  is  true  in  declaring  that  "God 
is  no  respecter  of  persons,"  and  Jesus  true  when 
He  insisted  that  the  children  of  Abraham  are 
measured  not  by  ties  of  flesh  and  blood,  but 
rather  by  obedience  and  service, — then  this  book 
with  its  lofty  religious  note  and  with  its  hero, 
a  God-fearing  man,  is  worthy  of  the  place  it 
occupies. 

Again,  there  has  been  and  is  bitter  disputing 
as  to  whether  Job  is  a  real  character.      Some 
insist  that  he  was  an  actual  man,  while  others 
54 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

with  equal  vehemence  insist  that  the  book  is  a 
story  and  that  Job  is  a  fictitious  character. 
Around  this  question,  what  a  storm  has  pre- 
vailed! On  the  one  hand  the  Churchman  has 
assured  us  that  unless  we  can  substantiate  the 
position  that  Job  is  a  real  man,  the  Church  is 
doomed.  Let  me  state  the  position  strongly 
and  baldly,  that  wTe  may  see  it  clearly.  "If 
Job  was  not  a  real  man  the  Bible  can  not  be 
trusted,  for  it  so  represented  him;  and  if  the 
Bible  can  not  be  trusted  at  one  point  it  can 
not  be  at  any  point;  and  if  the  Bible  is  un- 
authentic we  have  no  record  of  God,  and  we 
are  living  in  densest  ignorance,  with  the  Church 
and  Kingdom  built  upon  the  sand  and  doomed 
to  fall."  On  the  other  hand  we  are  told  that 
"nobody  with  intelligence  believes  that  Job  was 
a  real  man.  It  is  an  oriental  story,  with  all 
the  embellishments  of  the  eastern  writers,  and 
just  a  little  thought  and  study  and  investigation 
would  satisfy  any  one  that  this  is  so.  Why, 
for  anybody  to  believe  that  Job  actually  lived, 
in  this  day  of  modern  knowledge,  shows  a  lack 
of  brains."  And  this  is  very  distressing  to  some 
of  us  who  believe  that  Job  actually  lived,  or  at 
55 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

least  may  have  lived,  in  outline  as  the  book  sug- 
gests. Our  conceit  is  disturbed  when  we  are 
accused  of  ignorance  because  we  hold  a  differ- 
ent theory  from  some  other  man.  Here  again 
the  battle  is  mainly  between  straw-men,  and  the 
worthy  point  of  consideration  is  being  over- 
looked. 

After  all,  it  does  not  matter  whether  such 
a  man  lived  ages  ago.  Make  that  man  unique 
or  shut  him  away  from  our  day,  and  we  have 
no  interest  in  him.  Our  interest  is  in  the  men 
of  our  day.  And  the  preacher  can  tell  you  that 
in  his  parish  Job  is  not  a  fictitious  character; 
he  can  tell  you  of  men  and  women  whose  mis- 
fortunes may  not  have  been  of  the  same  name 
but  of  the  same  kind,  misfortunes  so  keen  and 
overwhelming  as  to  try  the  very  foundations 
of  the  soul.  And  the  question  with  which  we 
are  concerned  is  this :  When  a  man  is  so  shaken, 
is  God  near  enough  and  accessible  enough  so 
that  it  is  possible  for  the  man  in  his  bitterness 
to  find  Him,  so  that  he  will  not  suffer  ship- 
wreck? The  storms  about  this  book  are  man- 
made  and  of  little  account.  The  mighty  truths 
of  God  are  upon  its  pages. 
56 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

This  book  has  been  studied  by  eminent  schol- 
ars, it  has  been  variously  interpreted  from  many 
viewpoints,  each  school  of  theology  has  been 
able  to  find  vindication  on  its  pages.  While  the 
discussion  is  going  on,  and  while  our  friends  are 
arriving  at  some  unanimous  verdict,  let  me  give 
you  an  interpretation  this  morning  that  is  plain, 
simple,  practical  and,  I  trust,  helpful.  If  it  is 
not  the  common  interpretation,  I  appeal  to  you 
as  to  a  jury  whether  it  is  not  a  reasonable  one 
and  whether  a  re-reading  of  the  book  will  not 
convince  you  of  its  credence. 

Broadly  speaking,  the  book  divides  itself  into 
three  parts.  The  first  represents  the  afflictions 
of  the  man :  lightning  scatters  the  flock,  the 
enemy  destroys  the  property,  death  removes  the 
children,  and  the  heart  of  Job  is  filled  with  sor- 
row and  questioning  and  despair  and  bitterness. 
The  second  part  represents  the  visitation  of 
three  friends,  perhaps  a  Church  committee, 
who  have  heard  of  the  grief  of  Job  and  have 
come  to  console  him.  Whether  a  formal 
Church  committee  or  not,  they  come  with  the 
beliefs  of  the  Church  of  their  day.  They  are 
the  theologians  of  their  time.     But  their  visit 

57 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

is  fruitless  and  injurious.  Each  one  states  his 
conviction,  but  these  convictions  do  not  agree, 
and  Job  is  only  puzzled  and  confused  by  their 
endeavors.  Moreover,  it  is  one  man's  opinion 
against  another's;  and  when  one  of  them  slaps 
Job  in  the  face  by  accusing  him  of  being  a 
sinner,  a  very  wicked  man,  Job  strikes  back, 
and  the  result  of  the  interview  is  to  make  Job 
more  bitter  and  angry  and  resentful.  Then  an- 
other man  appears,  and  I  think  of  him  as  one 
of  the  shepherds  of  Job  perhaps,  who  had 
watched  his  flocks  in  the  surrounding  fields  and 
there  had  learned  the  ways  of  God.  At  the 
first  he  offers  his  own  ideas  to  Job,  as  the  others 
had  done,  and  it  has  the  same  effect  upon  Job 
apparently.  Then  he  directs  the  attention  of 
Job  to  God's  world  of  Nature  about  him,  and 
retires  from  the  scene. 

The  third  part  represents  God  and  Job  face 
to  face  in  the  world.  Job  is  contemplating  Na- 
ture. He  sees  now  the  things  at  hand,  and 
thinks  about  them:  the  cloud  and  rain  and 
snow ;  the  frost  and  ice ;  the  stars  and  constella- 
tions in  the  sky  above.  He  sees  now  with  new 
meaning  the  greater  world  in  which  he  lives. 
58 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

In  yonder  places  he  sees  the  ostrich  which  buries 
its  eggs  in  the  sand  and  allows  the  heat  of  the 
sun-warmed  sand  to  hatch  them  while  it  runs 
footraces  with  the  Arab  of  the  desert,  and  thus 
entices  the  horseman  from  its  nest,  because  God 
has  taught  it  so  much.  He  sees  with  new  mean- 
ing the  behemoth  or  hippopotamus,  strong  and 
fearless,  with  bones  like  iron  because  God  has 
made  it  so.  He  sees  now  the  leviathan  or  croco- 
dile with  its  fiery  eyes  and  scaled  sides,  proof 
against  man's  weapons,  and  with  marvelous 
speed  as  it  travels  the  waters.  And  as  Job  con- 
templates these  wonders  of  Nature  he  learns 
as  he  had  never  learned  from  human  lips  the 
plan  and  purpose  and  ability  of  God;  he  sees 
obedience  everywhere,  everywhere.  Then,  too, 
God  has  a  purpose  and  plan  for  him,  and  God 
is  able  to  accomplish  that  purpose;  then  he  will 
be  obedient  and  submissive  to  God  in  every- 
thing. And  as  in  obedient  spirit  he  bows  be- 
fore God,  resignation  and  peace  and  prosperity 
await  him.  Job  is  saved  from  his  temptation 
and  despair  by  his  contemplation  of  Nature. 
Job  is  not  unique.  His  experience  may  be  the 
experience  of  the  man  of  our  day. 
59 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

This  world  is  full  of  marvelous  things.  The 
wonders  of  Nature  are  everywhere  about  us, 
fortunately  available  to  every  man.  People 
travel  far  and  wide  to  see  Nature's  displays: 
the  Niagara  Falls,  Yellowstone  National  Park, 
Garden  of  the  Gods,  the  Alps  in  Switzerland, 
the  Rhine  in  Germany,  the  Italian  skies,  Scot- 
land's lochs,  and  Norway's  firths.  For  those 
who  are  able,  it  is  commendable,  but  is  chiefly 
necessary  because  these  travelers  usually  take 
off  their  "seeing"  glasses  when  they  return  to 
their  homes.  One  does  not  need  to  go  abroad 
to  be  overwhelmed  by  the  majesty  of  Nature. 
The  man  tracking  the  plow  in  the  field  or  driv- 
ing the  cows  to  pasture  is  in  the  very  midst  of 
Nature's  supreme  efforts.  The  man  who  walks 
the  hard  pavement  of  the  city  has  the  universe 
within  his  reach;  and  if  he  can  only  find  a  spot 
of  sward  upon  which  to  plant  his  foot,  will  find 
beneath  it  such  a  collection  of  Nature's  works 
as  to  afford  him  material  for  study  and  con- 
templation for  all  his  days  without  exhausting 
its  contents.  Even  the  invalid  confined  to  the 
room,  through  the  open  window  by  day  can 
watch  the  ever-shifting  clouds  now  piling  them- 
60 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

selves  along  the  horizon  like  some  great  city 
of  modern  times  or  like  the  ruins  of  some  an- 
cient one,  and  now  a  fleecy  lightness  and  white- 
ness  drifting  lazily  across  the  sky,   and  again 


WONDERS  OF  NATURE1 


like  some  great,  dark  battleships  moving  to  war 
as  they  are  driven  madly  by  the  wind.  Or  one 
may  see  the  gorgeous  sunset,  when  the  western 
sky  is  belted  with  broad  bands  of  rose  and  blue 
and  purple  and  sapphire.  And  at  night, 
through  the  same  window,  one  can  look  into 
61 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

the  heights  of  the  sky  and  watch  the  great  globe 
so  thickly  studded  with  stars  and  set  with  con- 
stellations slowly  moving,  ever  moving  with  the 
earth  in  the  center  of  it;  or  one  may  climb  the 
heights  and,  as  imagination  runs  riot,  wonder 
as  he  gazes  at  the  tiniest,  farthest  star  whether 
if  he  should  speed  all  his  days  as  fast  as  man 
can  go,  whether  some  day  he  might  reach  that 
star  and  bring  it  to  earth  and  put  it  in  his  box 
of  playthings — and  forget  that  it  is  already 
there. 

People  came  long  distances  to  our  city  to 
see  the  wonderful  flying-machine,  and  then  were 
denied  because  the  breeze  blew.  But  the  other 
day,  while  the  wind  in  mad  gusts  swept  the 
heavens,  I  looked  far  up  and  saw  there  a  won- 
derful flying-machine — the  red-shouldered  hawk 
— sailing  in  majestic  circles,  holding  steadily 
against  the  wind  or  easing  away  before  it,  with 
moving  wing  or  with  stationary  wing,  it  did 
not  matter.  Here  was  perfect  grace  and  per- 
fect rhythm  and  perfect  freedom,  for  it  was 
master  of  the  sky  and  wind,  and  can  be  seen 
from  your  doorstep.  And  in  the  suburbs  of  the 
city  I  have  watched  great  numbers  of  flying- 
62 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

machines — some  species  of  plover,  perchance — 
spring  into  the  air,  fly  in  quick  circles,  wheel 
short,  swoop,  speed  away,  alight  only  a  few 
inches  apart,  and  never  a  collision  and  never  an 
accident;  and  this  can  be  seen  from  the  window 
of  the  street-car.  Men  will  make  long  jour- 
neys to  see  the  launching  of  a  great  ship,  and 
watch  with  curiosity  and  breathless  interest  to 
see  whether  man's  efforts  will  be  successful. 
But  the  launching  of  a  baby  bird  in  your  yard, 
when  the  time  to  leave  the  nest  has  come,  is 
more  fascinating,  more  wonderful,  more  cer- 
tain. Travelers  go  to  the  Nile  to  see  the  lotus- 
bloom  and  to  catch  its  fragrance;  but  the 
marshes  of  our  fields  grow  the  white  water-lily, 
as  entrancing  in  beauty,  as  delicious  in  odor. 
The  wonders  of  Nature  are  everywhere;  they 
are  here  at  hand,  for  the  instruction  of  man 
concerning  God. 

And  they  are  in  our  presence  all  the  time. 
When  the  day  is  on,  there  is  the  bewitching 
tracery  of  foliage,  there  are  flowers  of  innumer- 
able kinds  and  inexhaustible  beauty,  and  the 
birds  are  about  with  the  throats  swelling  with 
song.  And  when  the  night  comes,  the  soft 
63 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

moonlight  may  chasten  and  subdue  the  earth, 
the  stars  look  down  in  gentleness  like  the  gentle 
eyes  of  kine.  And  if  all  alone,  away  from  city's 
blare  of  trumpets,  away  from  uthe  madding 
crowd,"  one  may  hear  the  music  of  the  night — 
not  the  shriller  note  of  cricket,  not  the  louder, 
accidental  note  of  some  wandering  bird,  but  the 
more  quiet,  subdued,  insistent  music  of  the 
night.  When  all  is  so  still  that  the  blood  flow- 
ing about  the  ear  seems  to  leap  and  dash  like 
distant  waterfall,  then  this  music  seems  to  ooze 
out  of  the  very  stars  above  and  air  about  and 
soil  beneath  our  feet. 

When  the  sun  shines,  the  shadows  are  chas- 
ing one  another  in  childish  glee  across  the  fields 
of  billowing  grain;  or  in  the  forest,  the  sun- 
light falls  in  scattered  flakes  upon  the  ground. 
When  the  day  is  dark  one  stands  perhaps  be- 
neath some  woodland  tree  and  listens  to  the 
music  as  the  drops  of  rain  come  pattering  down 
upon  the  leaves  or  drip  from  leafy  stems,  or 
hears  the  liquid  globules  of  music  as  the  great 
drops  fall  upon  the  face  of  the  lingering  pond 
of  the  creek,  and  sees  the  flower  that  has  closed 
so  that  the  rain  shall  not  beat  it  in  the  face, 
64 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

and  sees  some  feathered  forest-dweller  hanging 
to  the  side  of  the  tree  beneath  a  limb  and  away 
from  the  storm,  dry  and  cozy,  fitting  comrade 
for  such  a  day. 

When  winter  comes  and  the  leaves  are  fallen, 
the  trees  are  at  their  best  and  display  their  true 
beauty,  the  oak  so  straight  and  sturdy  and 
rugged  and  soldier-like,  the  elm  so  graceful  and 
delicate  and  almost  coy;  and  then  the  snow- 
storm, when  the  great  flakes  fall  like  autumn 
leaves,  or  when  the  fierce  wind  piles  into  fan- 
tastic shapes,  and  the  buds  containing  leaf  and 
flower  and  fruit  for  another  year  are  tucked  to 
bed  to  sleep  throughout  the  winter,  more  dain- 
tily than  any  mother's  hands  ever  tucked  human 
babe  away.  And  when  the  spring  comes  the 
wonders  do  not  cease.  The  winter  fumes  and 
frets  and  ever  keeps  its  face  toward  the  south- 
land, and  ever  retreats  with  snarling  lips  to 
the  northland. 

And  the  spring  comes  on,  and  the  grass  is 
growing  and  the  flowers  are  blooming  and  the 
birds  are  singing;  ah  me!  the  wonders  of  spring 
time!  And  the  spring  has  gone  and  the  sum- 
mer has  come,  and  we  scarcely  knew  it ;  but  the 
5  65 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

wonders  have  not  ceased.  And  now  the  fields 
are  waving  with  grain,  and  the  orchard-boughs 
are  bending  with  growing  fruit,  and  the  road- 
sides are  resplendent  with  bloom;  the  summer 
is  here,  but  the  wonders  have  not  ended.  And 
the  summer,  almost  before  we  know  it,  has 
faded  into  autumn,  and  the  fields  are  mown, 
and  the  corn  is  rustling  in  the  slightest  breeze, 
and  the  cheeks  of  apples  are  painted  with  gaudy 
hues;  for  the  wonders  have  not  ceased. 

And  it  seems  NOW,  for  autumn  is  here,  as 
though  there  could  not  be  a  time  of  year  when 
there  were  such  wonders  and  so  many  wonders 
as  now.  The  farmer  makes  his  slow  way  along 
the  rows  of  standing  corn,  and  the  thud  of 
golden  ears  comes  across  the  field,  sweet  music 
singing  of  God's  bountifulness  to  the  children 
of  men.  And  the  piles  of  ruddy  apples  'neath 
barren  trees  is  proof  enough  that  God  knew  His 
business  when  He  wrapped  the  buds  in  winter 
time  and  flung  the  leaves  to  the  breezes  in  spring 
time  and  grew  the  fruit  in  summer  time  and 
brought  it  to  its  fulness  in  autumn  time.  And 
the  gorgeous  colors  hang  upon  the  trees  as 
though,  before  God  had  stripped  the  branches 
66 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

for  future  plans  to  be  executed,  He  would  leave 
with  us  a  pleasant  memory  against  the  coming 
of  the  leaves  again. 

How  dare  I  speak  of  autumn  glories  ?  In  the 
city  of  Chicago  there  is  now  a  splendid  art- 
exhibit.  Masters  of  many  nationalities  are  rep- 
resented, and  there  are  some  of  their  finest 
works,  a  galaxy  of  art  showing  the  cunning  of 
man's  hands,  the  genius  of  man's  brain,  the 
warmth  of  man's  heart.  Any  one  having  the 
opportunity  would  gladly  see  the  splendid  dis- 
play of  paintings.  But  it  was  my  privilege  re- 
cently to  see  an  exhibit  of  far-surpassing  beauty. 
It  was  during  the  session  of  our  Annual  Con- 
ference. I  enjoy  the  company  of  preachers  and 
enjoy  listening  to  their  lectures  and  addresses 
and  debates;  but  there  was  no  time  for  that: 
there  was  too  much  work  handling  the  benevo- 
lence money.  But  there  was  time  enough  to 
slip  down  to  the  bridge  spanning  Rock  River 
for  a  few  minutes,  two  or  three  times  each  day, 
and  lose  myself  for  that  length  of  time  in  Na- 
ture's art  gallery.  As  I  stood,  with  arms  on 
the  railing  of  the  bridge,  forgetful  of  my  sur- 
roundings, some  passer-by  may  have  thought 
67 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

that  I  contemplated  suicide.  The  only  trouble 
with  his  thinking  was  that  it  was  too  slow.  I 
had  already  ceased  to  realize  my  existence;  I 
was  swallowed  up,  was  lost  in  the  great  world 
about  me. 

But  this  was  what  I  saw.  There  were  many 
islands  in  the  river  carpeted  with  rich  green 
grass,  appearing  like  so  many  emeralds  in  a 
broad  ribbon  of  silver.  Man  had  thrown  an 
obstruction  across  the  river.  But  the  waters, 
disdaining  and  scorning  the  hindrance,  leaped 
across  the  barrier,  throwing  themselves  trium- 
phantly into  silver  spray;  or  seizing  upon  the 
wandering  rays  of  light,  tore  them  into  frag- 
ments and  adorned  the  spray  with  the  colors  of 
the  rainbow.  On  one  bank  near  at  hand  was 
a  mass  of  tangled  bittersweet.  Already  the 
leaves,  turned  yellow,  were  sifting  to  the  ground, 
detached  by  the  slightest  effort;  but  every  fall- 
ing leaf  but  made  more  plain  and  more  resplend- 
ent the  berries  that  lingered.  The  frost  had  put 
its  icy  fingers  upon  the  outer  orange  caskets, 
and  these  had  opened  and  spread  apart,  show- 
ing the  ruby-red  berry  within,  bright  as  coral 
beads.  On  the  other  bank  was  a  patch  of 
68 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

sumach  flaunting  its  flaming  plumes  of  crimson 
leaves  and  garnet  berries.  Farther  away  sullen 
bluffs  outcropped,  and  the  banks  and  larger 
islands  were  covered  with  trees.  Already  the 
reds  and  browns  and  russets  were  creeping 
across  the  face  of  the  foliage,  but  it  was  a  few 
days  too  early  to  see  these  colors  at  their  best. 
This  was  particularly  an  exhibit  of  yellows,  and 
they  were  here  of  every  shade  and  tint.  The 
distance  was  such  that  one  did  not  try  to  dis- 
tinguish the  particular  tree  or  bush  or  shape  of 
leaf.  It  was  sufficient  to  see  the  rich  display  of 
tints,  and  these  were  ever-changing.  Every 
added  visit  revealed  new  beauties.  The  colors 
were  becoming  deeper  and  richer.  There  was 
no  startling  change,  but  as  by  the  hand  of  man 
one  stereopticon  picture  dissolves  into  another, 
so  here  by  the  matchless  skill  of  God  one  pic- 
ture grew  out  of  another;  the  green  was  dis- 
solving into  yellow,  the  yellow  into  gold.  It 
was  evident  that  while  I  was  away  the  Master- 
Painter  was  not  away,  but  was  busy  with  paints, 
changing,  enriching,  and  adding  new  beauty  to 
the  scene.  And  the  flood  of  light  from  noon- 
day sun,  the  slanting  rays  of  twilight  sun,  the 
69 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

dullness  of  hazy  day,  the  calmness  of  quiet  air, 
the  stirring  of  breeze  upon  leaf  and  river  made 
even  more  changing  an  ever-changing  pano- 
rama. 

"Well,  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  the 
Church?  What  difference  does  it  make  to 
Christianity  and  noble  character  and  to  knowl- 
edge of  God  that  leaves  are  green  or  red,  and 
there  are  clouds  in  the  sky,  and  flowers  under 
foot?  Of  what  use  is  Nature  to  the  religious 
welfare  of  man?"  My  contention  is  that  the 
contemplation  of  Nature  was  good  for  Job  and 
gave  him  essential  knowledge  of  God;  and  the 
contemplation  of  Nature  is  good  for  me  and,  I 
am  sure,  for  any  man  with  open  eyes  and  sym- 
pathetic mind. 

Here  is  convincing  proof  of  God's  ability. 
If  God  is  able  to  number  the  stars,  to  marshal 
them  into  constellations,  to  lead  them  in  troops 
across  the  sky,  to  sow  them  thick  as  snowflakes 
in  the  "milky  way,"  and  to  keep  them  in  their 
courses,  then  I  do  not  doubt  but  that  God  is 
able  to  be  Master  of  this  human  world,  and  to 
work  His  will,  and  to  rule  in  the  affairs  of  na- 
tions and  cause  them  to  do  His  bidding.  And 
70 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

if  sometimes  the  nation  seems  indisposed  or  un- 
concerned or  "mindful  of  the  things  of  low  de- 
gree," I  will  not  be  cast  down,  for  God  is  able. 
And  if  God  can  do  so  much  with  so  little  to 
do  with,  if  God  can  with  a  tiny,  insignificant 
acorn  make  the  great  oak  with  sturdy  branches 
and  abundant  leafage  and  bounteous  fruitage, 
causing  that  acorn  to  burst  asunder  its  prison- 
house  and  to  conquer  every  hindrance,  then  I 
do  not  doubt  but  that  God  is  able  to  save  the 
very  lowest  man,  do  not  doubt  that  there  is 
enough  good  even  there,  with  God's  help  and 
support,  to  grow  into  a  noble,  useful  life;  and 
that,  no  matter  what  the  prison-house  may  be, 
or  what  chains  may  bind  or  barriers  intervene, 
there  is  hope  for  that  man,  and  salvation  is  pos- 
sible: for  God  is  able. 

Here,  too,  is  convincing  proof  of  God's  pur- 
pose. Nature  is  not  a  world  of  chance  or  care- 
lessness or  uselessness.  Everything  has  its  mis- 
sion. The  very  shape  and  color  and  fragrance 
of  the  flower  are  not  accidental  and  do  not  re- 
veal mere  passing  whims  of  a  Creator.  Every- 
thing in  Nature  is  significant  and  purposeful. 
And  as  one  sees  this  and  realizes  this  beyond 
71 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

shadow  of  doubt,  the  conclusion  is  plain:  there 
is  some  reason  for  my  being,  my  existence. 
I  am  a  part  of  God's  world  and  of  God's  plan. 
And  in  proportion  as  my  rank  is  high  among 
God's  creatures,  so  am  I  sure  that  that  purpose 
is  a  worthy  and  fitting  one. 

Here  is  example  enough  and  proof  enough 
as  to  the  necessity  of  obedience  to  God.  It  is 
obedience  everywhere.  The  mightiest  sun,  the 
tide  of  ocean,  the  blade  of  grass,  the  drop  of 
dew,  the  mote  that  dances  in  streaming  sunlight, 
reveal  absolute  obedience  to  the  will  of  God. 
Here  is  law,  majestic  and  unbroken.  Here  is 
respect  for  law,  implicit  and  unquestioned.  And 
here  is  argument  and  inspiration  that  man,  mas- 
ter of  his  destiny,  is  doing  the  wise  and  neces- 
sary thing  when  he  yields  himself  to  the  law  and 
will  of  God. 

Above  your  desks  on  the  office-wall  or  on  the 
walls  of  your  homes  perhaps  there  are  Roths- 
child's maxims,  or  other  maxims,  urging  fru- 
gality, diligence,  perseverance,  cheerfulness,  or 
other  attributes  that  make  for  success  and  honor 
and  happiness  in  life.  God's  maxims  and  mot- 
toes and  sermons  are  printed  upon  every  leaf 
72 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

and  every  flower  and  every  cloud  and  every  star. 
They  are  everywhere,  and  only  the  blind  man 
or  the  perverted  man  can  fail  to  read.  Here 
is  unquestionable  proof  for  Bible  texts.  If 
Jesus  commanded  the  disciples  to  gather  up  the 
crumbs  after  He  had  made  loaves  beyond  com- 
pute, and  so  urged  frugality,  Nature  is  preach- 
ing the  value  of  the  fragments  constantly,  using 
the  dead  leaf  to  protect  the  living  plant  from 
the  cold,  using  the  dew  to  refresh  the  vegeta- 
tion. If  the  Bible  insists  that  "whatsoever  a 
man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap,"  and  man 
is  always  disputing  it,  Nature  proves  it  beyond 
dispute.  We  can  not  gather  "grapes  from 
thorns  or  figs  from  thistles."  The  great  prin- 
ciples of  the  religious  life  find  in  Nature  proof 
or  verification.  It  is  God's  world;  and  God, 
who  laid  the  foundation  of  it  in  the  beginning, 
is  still  laying  the  foundations  and  building  the 
walls  and  adorning  the  rooms.  Man  is  in  it, 
but  man  need  not  be  of  it;  and  the  question, 
sharp  as  any  spear-point  which  God  asked  of 
Job,  is  asked  of  you  this  day,  Where  art  thou 
when  God  is  laying  the  foundations  of  the 
earth? 

73 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

While  men  might  be  learning  about  God  from 
Nature,  some  of  them  are  deliberately  or  igno- 
rantly  destroying  its  wonders.  At  the  close  of 
the  Annual  Conference  it  was  my  privilege  to 
visit  my  boyhood  home  and  to  drive  over  the 
road  where  as  a  boy  I  had  walked  out  of  the 
village  to  the  country  school,  or  to  the  woods 
where  I  spent  many  happy  boyhood  hours. 
There  was  a  sadness  to  the  day  because  of  the 
changes  that  had  been  wrought.  There  had 
been  a  broad  stone-fence  made  of  shale-rock, 
and  it  had  been  one  of  our  boyish  tricks,  bare- 
footed, to  run  along  the  top  and  balance  our- 
selves as  we  ran ;  and  so  we  developed  the  cun- 
ning of  the  squirrel;  here  the  woodchuck  had 
its  burrow,  and  as  we  ran  and  played  it  stood 
erect  like  a  soldier  and  whistled,  and  then,  like 
a  coward,  pitched  headlong  into  its  burrow. 
And  here  sometimes  we  saw  the  weasel,  and  in 
winter  the  dainty  footprints  of  the  deerfooted 
mouse.  But  the  stone-fence  had  disappeared, 
and  in  its  place  was  a  barb-wire  fence;  for  the 
stone  wall  took  too  much  room.  Another  fur- 
row of  ground  must  be  turned,  that  a  little  more 
corn  might  be  raised  for  the  fattening  of  a  few 
74 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

more  hogs.  And  there  had  been  a  rail-fence, 
sprawling  roomily  along  the  road,  clambered 
over  with  bittersweet  and  carrion-flower  and 
leathery  clematis;  in  the  corners  of  it  grew  the 
hazel-brush  and  the  wild  roses,  and  there  the 
bloodroot  and  yellow  violet  and  adder's  tongue 
bloomed;  and  the  chipmunk  with  banded  sides 
saucily  ran  along  the  rails,  and  the  downy  wood- 
pecker hunted  for  food  as  nonchalantly  as 
though  we  were  not  in  existence  or — sly  rascal — 
pretended  to  be  hunting  for  food  in  the  crannies 
of  the  rails;  and  once  a  little  chickadee  hol- 
lowed out  a  home  in  the  heart  of  a  rail,  and 
there  laid  its  delicately-spotted  eggs  and  reared 
its  young.  The  rail-fence  taught  us  many  of 
Nature's  secrets,  but  it  is  gone  now,  and  in  its 
place  a  woven-wire  fence.  It  took  too  much 
room.  Two  or  three  additional  furrows  of 
ground  must  be  turned,  that  a  little  more  corn 
might  be  raised  for  the  fattening  of  a  few  more 
hogs.  And  there  had  been  a  hedge-fence  of 
osage-orange  trees.  In  the  autumn  we  had 
gathered  the  yellow-green  oranges  as  ornaments 
for  the  clock-shelf.  Here,  always,  the  brown 
thrasher  nested,  and  the  butcher  bird  and  the 
75 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

robin  and  the  catbird  and  the  goldfinch.  And 
in  the  winter  the  rabbit  made  its  bunk  in  the 
long  grass  that  grew  unmolested  among  the 
trees.  And  I  have  sometimes  caught  the  rabbit 
asleep,  and  with  boyish  shout  leaped  upon  it, 
and  watched  it  spring  away  with  long  leaps, 
frightened  and  ashamed  that  it  had  been  thus 
surprised.  The  hedge-fence  is  gone  now,  and 
in  its  place  there  is  nothing;  for  there  must  be 
more  room  for  the  growing  of  corn  for  the  fat- 
tening of  hogs.  And  there  had  been  a  wild 
crab-apple  thicket,  where  the  bluejays  nested 
and  scolded  us  and  cried,  "G'way,  g'way!"  In 
the  spring  the  branches  were  festooned  with 
pink  and  white,  and  the  air  was  redolent  with 
precious  perfume,  and  in  the  autumn  the  ground 
was  strewn  with  tantalizing  fruit.  During  the 
summer,  as  we  saw  the  growing  apples,  we 
planned  to  store  them  for  the  winter.  But  some- 
how we  never  did — after  we  tasted  one.  And 
there  was  a  slough  where  the  redwing  black- 
birds nested,  and  where  the  booming  bitterns 
reared  their  young,  and  where  in  the  winter  the 
rabbits  bunked  and  the  prairie-hens  roosted.  I 
haa  flushed  them  by  hundreds,  or  watched  them 
76 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

walking  on  the  snow  and  feeding  on  the  scat- 
tered ears  of  corn  that  had  been  overlooked  in 
husking-time.  But  all  of  this  is  changed  now. 
The  wild  crabs   are   gone,   and  the  slough  is 


%  h ; 

I 

^^B    r-' v./< 

Y  i% 

m ' 

THE  BOOMING  BITTERNS  REARED  THEIR  YOUNG 


drained,  that  a  little  more  corn  may  be  raised. 
We  must  be  well-fed  and  grow  fat ;  but  as  prog- 
ress, agriculturally  speaking,  has  slowly  made 
its  way  across  the  land  it  has  destroyed  many 
things  that  fed  the  mind  and  heart.  And  I  sub- 
mit that  there  is  danger  of  our  being  so  much 
77 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

concerned  about  growing  fat  in  body  that  we 
forget  the  needs  of  the  mind  and  soul. 

If  some  men  are  destroyers,  others  are  blind, 
walking  in  the  midst  of  Nature's  wonders, 
standing  in  the  midst  of  Nature's  truths,  and  not 
seeing.  And  this,  I  think,  had  been  the  fault 
of  Job.  Good  man  that  he  was,  careful  to 
make  his  sacrifices  and  concerned  about  the  wel- 
fare of  his  children,  still  he  had  been  unim- 
pressed by  the  great  lessons  taught  by  God's 
world.  The  servants  had  reported  that  there 
were  seven  thousand  sheep;  and  Job  said,  "It 
has  been  a  good  year;  there  were  but  six  thou- 
sand a  year  ago."  They  had  said,  "There  are 
three  thousand  camels;"  and  he  had  said,  "It  is 
a  good  year;  there  were  but  two  thousand  a  year 
ago."  As  though  the  goodness  of  a  year  and 
the  worth  of  a  year  could  be  measured  by  the 
increase  of  the  flocks  or  the  possessions.  Yet, 
how  many  are  measuring  life  by  such  standards, 
counting  life  to  consist  of  the  "abundance  of 
things  it  possesseth,"  remembering  God  perhaps 
for  a  few  minutes  on  the  Sabbath  day,  making 
sacrifices  before  the  altar  regularly  perhaps,  but 
78 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

devoting  the  greater  time  to  the  things  of  the 
body;  reading  God's  word  on  written  page,  and 
listening  to  the  sermon  as  a  message  from  God 
from  the  pulpit,  and  making  confession  of 
Christ,  and  then  going  out  into  God's  world, 
where  God's  truth  is  written,  and  where  God's 
sermons  are  preached,  and  where  God  is  always 
present  making  it  a  holy  world,  and  forgetting 
that  it  is  God's  world  and  that  God  is  in  it, 
and  making  it  only  a  market-place,  a  feeding- 
place  for  swine,  a  place  where  the  body  is  cared 
for,  but  where  mind  and  heart  are  ignored? 

I  do  not  plead  for  less  observance  of  the 
Sabbath,  and  less  regard  for  the  Church  and 
the  Christ,  and  less  time  devoted  to  prayer  and 
reading  of  Bible;  but  I  do  plead  for  such  a 
recognition  of  this  world  as  God's  world  and 
for  such  removal  of  blindness  and  for  such  de- 
sire for  the  enrichment  of  mind  and  the  culti- 
vation of  heart  that  every  day  shall  be  a  holy 
day,  that  every  hill  shall  be  a  temple,  that  every 
thing  that  is  shall  be  a  preacher  of  God's 
majesty  and  glory.  Then  will  we  be  ever  mind- 
ful of  God's  presence.  Then  shall  come  to  pass 
79 


NATURE-INTERPRETATION  OF  JOB 

the  saying  that  is  written,  "The  mountains  and 
the  hills  shall  break  forth  before  you  into  sing- 
ing, and  all  the  trees  of  the  field  shall  clap  their 
hands:  and  it  shall  be  to  the  Lord  for  a  name, 
for  an  everlasting  sign  that  shall  not  be  cut 
off." 


80 


Ill 


IMPOSSIBLE  SONGS  OF  NATURE  AND 
REDEMPTION 


IMPOSSIBLE  SONGS  OF  NATURE  AND 
REDEMPTION 

"Praise  ye  the  Lord.  Praise  ye  the  Lord  from  the 
heaven:  praise  Him  in  the  heights.  Praise  ye  Him,  all  His 
angels:  praise  ye  Him,  all  His  hosts.  Praise  ye  Him,  sun  and 
moon:  praise  Him,  all  ye  stars  of  light.  Praise  Him,  ye 
heavens  of  heavens,  and  ye  waters  that  be  above  the  heavens. 
Let  them  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord:  for  He  commanded, 
and  they  were  created.  He  hath  also  established  them  for 
ever  and  ever:  He  hath  made  a  decree  which  shall  not  pass. 
Praise  the  Lord  from  the  earth,  ye  dragons,  and  all  deeps: 
fire,  and  hail;  snow,  and  vapors;  stormy  wind  fulfilling  His 
word:  mountains,  and  all  hills;  fruitful  trees,  and  all  cedars: 
beasts,  and  all  cattle;  creeping  things,  and  flying  fowl:  kings 
of  the  earth,  and  all  people;  princes,  and  all  judges  of  the 
earth:  both  young  men,  and  maidens;  old  men,  and  children: 
let  them  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord:  for  His  name  alone  is 
excellent ;  His  glory  is  above  the  earth  and  heaven.  He  also 
exalteth  the  horn  of  His  people,  the  praise  of  all  His  saints; 
even  of  the  children  of  Israel,  a  people  near  unto  Him. 
Praise  ye  the  Lord." — Psalm    148. 

"Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air:  for  they  sow  not,  neither 
do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns;  yet  your  Heavenly  Father 
feedeth  them.  Are  ye  not  much  better  than  they?  Which 
of  you  by  taking  thought  can  add  one  cubit  unto  his  stature? 
And  why  take  ye  thought  for  raiment?  Consider  the  lilies 
of  the  field,  how  they  grow;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they 
spin:  and  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  even  Solomon  in  all  his 
glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  Wherefore,  if  God 
so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  to-day  is,  and  to- 
morrow is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall  He  not  much  more  clothe 
you,  O  ye  of  little  faith  ?" — Matthew  6 :  26-30. 

"Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  farthing?  And  one  of 
them  shall  not  fall  on  the  ground  without  your  Father.  But 
the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  Fear  ye  not 
therefore,  ye  are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows.' — Mat- 
thew 10:29-31. 


Ill 

"No  man  could  learn  that  song." — Revelation   14:3. 

JOHN  declares  that  there  are  songs  beyond 
the  power  of  man  to  sing,  and  songs  which 
are  possible  only  for  the  regenerate  man. 
For  the 'text,  continued,  reads,  "No  man  could 
learn  that  song  but  the  redeemed."  It  is  not 
a  distortion  of  the  text,  I  am  sure,  to  say  that 
there  are  songs  which  only  God  can  teach,  and 
which  therefore  lead  us  directly  and  simply  to 
see  Him  and  worship  Him.  And  I  wish,  this 
morning,  that  we  might  notice  and  might  listen 
to  the  songs  of  Nature,  the  singing  of  the  brook, 
the  singing  of  the  birds,  the  song  of  the  night, 
and  listen  to  the  songs  of  the  human  heart, 
whose  music  has  sweetened  and  cheered  the 
world  because  God  has  caused  it  to  be. 

John  is  no  doubter  of  man's  ability,  is  not 

seeking  to  discredit  or  belittle  the  possibilities 

or  deeds  of  man.     In  this  book  he  has  written 

he  speaks  of  the  achievements  of  kings  and  na- 

83 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

tions,  and  declares  that  these  are  not  ignored 
by  God,  but  will  be  one  of  the  possessions  and 
appreciations  of  heaven. 

John  is  not  challenging  man's  powers.  There 
are  pessimists  enough  in  this  world  to  do  that, 
to  declare  that  man  has  reached  his  limit,  that 
there  is  no  new  thing  under  the  sun,  that  man 
is  like  a  ship  with  a  broken  rudder,  drifting  at 
the  mercy  of  wind  and  tide.  How  often  these 
gloomy  orators  are  discomfited!  These  doubt- 
ers said  that  the  ocean  could  not  be  crossed, 
that  it  would  swallow  its  victims  or  hurl  them 
over  its  straight-standing  edge  to  destruction; 
and  Columbus  with  puny  ships  and  poor  equip- 
ment and  timid  seamen,  but  boundless  faith, 
put  out  to  sea  and  proved  that  it  could  be  done, 
and  became  the  first  naturalized  American. 
These  doubters  said  that  ships  could  not  be  pro- 
pelled through  the  water,  driven  against  wind 
and  tide  by  steam;  and  Fulton  proceeded  to 
demonstrate  that  it  could  be  done.  Doubting 
ones  from  the  time  of  Darius  Green  have  ridi- 
culed the  idea  that  the  air  could  be  navigated 
by  men,  and  lo!  while  they  sneer  and  scoff  and 
speak  of  those  who  have  died  in  the  attempt, 
84 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

Bleriot  wings  his  way  across  the  channel  and 
drops  down  on  English  soil ;  and  Curtis  and  the 
Wright  brothers  come  home  from  France  with 
breasts  covered  with  medals  and  pockets  bulg- 


THE  SINGING  OF  THE  BROOK 

ing  with  money — visible  proof  of  man's  ability 
to  do.  While  scoffers  were  saying  that  the 
north  pole  never  could  be  reached,  men  of 
courage  said  that  it  could  be  done.  And  if  one 
of  our  countrymen  came  back  with  the  marks 
of  fraud  upon  him,  another  returned — Peary, 
85 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

the  American,  lugging  the  north  pole  under 
his  arm.  The  testimony  of  libraries  and  art- 
galleries,  the  biographies  of  men  and  nations, 
the  echoes  that  are  wafted  from  every  age  and 
come  floating  across  the  centuries  unite  in  say- 
ing, "It  can  be  done;  it  can  be  done."  Man  is 
so  great,  his  achievements  are  so  notable  that 
it  is  hardly  safe  to  say  what  he  can  not  do. 
And  sometimes  in  our  pride  or  ignorance  we 
feel  that  he  can  do  everything,  that  he  can  sing 
every  song. 

God  must  be  proud  of  His  children  at  times. 
Oh!  there  are  times  enough  when  He  has  no 
occasion  to  be  proud;  when  man  is  refusing  to 
be  great  or  to  do  the  great  things;  when  man 
is  drunken,  and  manhood  has  been  swallowed 
up  in  beastliness;  when  man  is  cruel  and  op- 
pressive, and  brotherhood  has  been  swallowed 
up  in  selfishness;  when  man  is  lustful  and  pro- 
fane, bitter  and  cynical,  ignorant  and  indolent, 
squandering  time  and  talent  and  opportunity. 
Oh !  then  God  is  humiliated  and  disgraced. 
But  when  man  is  at  his  best,  keen-eyed  to  see 
the  task,  strong-hearted  to  attempt  the  task, 
brawny-armed  or  brawny-brained  to  do  the 
86 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

task,  then  God  must  be  pleased  with  His  chil- 
dren. For  God  wrote  the  problems  and  told 
men  to  solve  them.  God  wrote  the  problem 
of  the  mighty  sea,  the  frozen  north,  the  shift- 
ing tide,  the  fickle  air,  wrote  the  problem  con- 
taining an  "X,"  an  unknown  quantity,  and 
fired  man's  heart  and  brain  with  ambition  to 
solve  it.  And  man's  part  is  to  supply  the  miss- 
ing term,  steam  or  electricity  or  gravitation,  by 
discovery  or  invention.  And  when  man  shows 
shrewdness  and  brain-force  and  patience  and 
perseverance  and  grit  and  energy  and  sacrifice 
to  work  the  problem,  God  is  surely  pleased  with 
him. 

And  man  ought  to  be  grateful  to  God  for 
problems  to  work  and  for  talents  to  work  with, 
for  the  development  that  comes  with  work;  for 
without  it  muscles  remain  puny  and  flaccid,  and 
brain  remains  in  ignorance  and  impotence.  He 
ought  to  be  grateful  for  the  teaching-ways  of 
God,  pointing,  directing,  suggesting,  in  the  mo- 
ments of  man's  bewilderment  so  that  he  can 
prevail,  can  overcome.  For  man  can  not  do 
these  things  without  God's  help,  either  to  pro- 
vide the  opportunity  or  to  endow  him  with  the 
87 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

talents,  however  undeveloped,  with  which  it 
may  be  improved.  And  for  very  gratitude  for 
these  blessings  man  ought  to  be  a  Christian, 
ought  to  realize  his  dependence  upon  God,  ac- 
knowledge his  dependence,  and  be  obedient  to 
God  in  every  way.  And  most  of  all,  we  ought 
to  live  the  godly. life,  growing  a  character  like 
the  blessed  Master,  Son  of  God.  For  God's 
supremest  purpose  is  not  the  building  of  oceans 
to  sail,  or  mountains  to ,  climb,  or  forests  to 
penetrate,  but  the  building  of  a  race  of  men 
worthy  to  be  called  His  sons,  to  abide  with 
Him  forever.  And  man's  crowning  achieve- 
ment is  not  the  exploring  of  a  desolate  land,  the 
discovery  of  the  north  pole,  the  building  of  a 
flying-machine,  however  meritorious  these  may 
be;  but  his  supremest  achievement  is  the  en- 
thronement of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  heart  and  the 
conquering  of  the  passions  and  the  directing  of 
them  until  Christ  is  Master  of  the  life.  Man 
is  so  great  in  possibility  and  achievement  that 
we  do  not  wonder  at  the  psalmist  crying :  "What 
is  man,  that  Thou  art  mindful  of  him?  For 
Thou  hast  made  him  a  little  lower  than  the 
angels,  and  hast  crowned  him  with  glory  and 
88 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

honor.      Thou  madest  him  to  have  dominion 
over  the  works  of  Thy  hands." 

John  is  making  no  attempt  to  discredit  man, 
but  he  does  recognize  his  limitations,  which  are 
apparent  enough.  The  earth  is  huge,  colossal; 
but  it  has  boundaries.  The  ocean  extending 
from  pole  to  pole,  stretches  away  before  us 
day  after  day  as  we  sail,  challenging  our  powers 
of  imagination,  seeming  limitless ;  but  the  ocean 
is  held  in  leash  by  the  great  continents;  it  may 
thunder  against  the  rocky  coasts  of  Maine  and 
Newfoundland,  it  may  heap  itself  into  great 
tides  or  work  itself  into  a  frenzy  of  waves,  and 
may  thrust  the  shore-line  back  a  brief  span ;  but 
there  are  limits  beyond  which  it  can  not  go, 
there  are  regions  it  can  not  traverse,  heights  it 
can  not  climb.  And  so  it  is  with  man.  How- 
ever great  the  range  of  his  powers,  whatever 
impression  he  may  make  upon  the  boundaries 
of  ignorance  and  sin  that  seek  to  crowd  in  upon 
him  and  narrow  his  attainments :  there  are  fixed 
boundaries  beyond  which  he  can  not  go,  heights 
to  which  he  can  not  climb;  there  are  songs  he 
can  not  sing,  and  other  songs  he  can  sing  only 
with  the  help  of  Christ. 
89 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

There  are  the  impossible  songs  of  Nature. 
There  are  innumerable  songs  beyond  the  powers 
of  man  to  emulate,  but  not  beyond  his  powers 
to  enjoy  and  appreciate. 

In  the  bird-world  there  is  melody  as  preva- 
lent as  the  fragrance  of  flowers.  I  speak  to- 
day of  the  song  of  the  roseate  grosbeak,  one 
of  the  remarkable  soloists  of  our  country,  be- 
cause I  heard  his  singing  yesterday.  I  was 
upon  an  errand  to  a  neighbor's  house;  but  as 
I  turned  from  the  street  to  the  door,  such  music 
was  wafted  from  a  tree  in  the  yard  I  forgot  my 
errand  and  that  here  was  a  yard  where  I  was 
a  trespasser;  and  with  hat  in  hand,  out  of  def- 
erence to  the  ability  of  the  songster,  I  drew 
near  to  listen.  You  recall  that  this  was  autumn- 
singing.  In  the  spring,  when  the  birds  return, 
there  is  such  satiety  of  music,  for  it  is  the  time 
of  love  and  wooing;  and  lady  grosbeaks,  how- 
ever plain  and  simple  they  appear  to  us  in  their 
drab  garments,  fill  the  breasts  of  their  mates 
so  full  of  music  it  can  not  be  contained.  It 
seems  to  spill  out  like  the  bubbling  over  of  a 
spring,  and  the  very  atmosphere  of  spring  lends 
itself  to  the  making  of  melody.      But  this  is 

90 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

autumn.  Behind  us  are  weeks  of  intensely  hot 
weather.  We  have  been  stifled  with  heat  and 
strangled  with  dust.  And  the  birds  are  weaned 
from  the  exertions  of  the  summer:  building 
nests,  brooding  eggs,  searching  persistently  for 
food  for  those  ever-gaping  mouths,  patiently 
caring  for  their  young,  so  wearied  they  have 
forgotten  to  sing.  And  they  have  had  their  un- 
derstanding that  song  and  love  would  be  put 
aside  until  another  spring  had  come. 

And  here  was  a  bird  in  full  song,  not  sing- 
ing for  a  mate  or  to  the  spring,  but  singing  a 
farewell  song  to  linger  during  the  winter  as  a 
fragrant  memory.  It  was  like  a  farewell  kiss 
from  one  you  love  about  to  go  on  a  long  jour- 
ney. It  was  a  good-bye  and  a  pledge  that  it 
would  come  again  to  gladden  our  hearts  with 
its  music.  It  was  a  rare  moment.  The  colors 
of  the  bird  were  strikingly  distinct,  beating  upon 
the  eyeball  as  the  big  drops  of  rain  beat  upon 
the  face.  The  delicate  pink  of  the  wild  rose 
was  upon  its  breast ;  the  more  delicate  pink  that 
blushes  the  apple-blossom,  beneath  its  wings; 
below,  as  white  as  the  virgin  snow;  above,  a 
coat  of  black,  flecked  with  great  white  snow- 
91 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

flakes.  Here  was  brilliancy  combined  with  ex- 
quisite harmony  of  color.  The  bird  was  con- 
stantly in  motion  from  very  exuberance  of  spirit. 
It  seemed  as  though  there  was  some  energy 
within  that  compelled  it  in  its  movements  as 
the  steam  causes  the  lid  of  the  tea-kettle  to 
bubble.  It  was  all  excitement,  all  a-quiver.  On 
the  twig  it  was  rocking  and  swaying  and  swing- 
ing and  tilting  from  excessive  vivacity.  And 
this  did  not  suffice.  Every  few  moments  it 
would  launch  into  the  air  and  describe  circles 
about  the  tree,  whirling,  pirouetting,  plunging, 
climbing,  a  mass  of  beautiful  color  in  motion, 
and  singing  its  very  life  away. 

And  such  music !  The  gurgling  of  the  chorus 
of  blackbirds  is  sweet  enough,  or  the  weird  tone 
of  the  mourning-dove  that  swells  and  fades  like 
the  distant  swell  of  the  sea.  But  here  was  a 
song  whose  notes  were  as  clear  as  those  of  a 
silver  bell,  and  certain  and  accurate  as  he  leaped 
from  one  note  to  another  and  ran  the  scale;  so 
musical  as  to  be  rivaled  only  by  another  gros- 
beak. And  I  stood  with  hat  off,  with  memory 
bringing  to  mind  other  grosbeak  friends  who 
had  sung  for  me  in  the  library  in  the  midst  of 
92 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

winter,  abiding  proof  of  the  coming  of  the 
spring-melodies,  friends  much  loved,  now  lost 
awhile;  and  my  heart  was  swelling  with  grati- 
tude to  God.     John  was  right.     No  man  could 


THE  MUSIC  OF  THE  PINES 

learn  that  song,  no  man  could  duplicate  its 
sweetness  with  trumpet  or  whistle  or  stringed 
instrument.  God  filled  that  bird  full  of  song 
to  overflowing,  and  God's  music  from  God's 
instrument  was  spilling  out  upon  God's  world 
to  make  God's  children  happy.  There  was  no 
93 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

man  in  sight,  no  thought  of  man  in  mind;  God 
was  everywhere,  and  His  praise  was  being  sung 
in  rapturous  melody  by  one  of  His  creatures. 

The  pines  are  one  of  Nature's  sublimest 
choruses.  Wood-songs  are  as  distinct  as  the 
voices  of  men  and  women.  The  aspen  and  balm 
of  Gilead  and  rough-voiced  oak  are  as  different 
as  flute  and  harp  and  horn.  I  listened  to  this 
mighty  orchestra  repeatedly  during  the  month 
of  August.  The  players  were  legion,  filling  the 
valley  and  flanking  the  adjoining  hills:  with 
jackets  of  green;  with  trunks  clad  with  garments 
of  purplish-gray,  standing  so  tall  and  stalwart, 
knee-deep  in  feathery  hemlock  (or  American 
yew)  ;  with  fingers,  if  you  will  think  of  it  thus, 
so  many  as  to  be  uncountable,  playing  upon  the 
reeds  of  the  wind;  or  holding  countless  strings 
of  green,  if  you  will  imagine  it  thus,  toned  with 
rosin  like  the  bow  of  the  violin.  And  the  breeze 
was  moving  with  delicate  touch  across  them,  as 
a  nurse  with  delicate  step  moves  across  the  floor, 
making  music  as  that  of  chastened  waves  upon 
some  far-away  shore,  sustained,  strengthening, 
subduing,  almost  sobbing  at  times.  As  the  sob- 
bing sweetness  fills  the  listener  who  tarries  alone 
94 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

in  the  presence  of  the  orchestra,  his  soul  seems 
to  have  lost  its  aloofness,  its  distinctness.  It 
has  reached  out  and  enveloped  the  orchestra, 
and  the  music  is  sobbing,  swelling  through  its 
corridors  as  the  sea-wind  sighs  in  the  heart  of 
the  sea-shell.  John  was  right.  No  man  could 
learn  that  song.  God  filled  that  orchestra  with 
song  to  overflowing,  and  God  fills  my  soul  to 
overflowing  as  I  listen  to  His  spirit  moving  the 
pine  trees  to  music. 

The  song  of  the  night  is  one  of  Nature's 
mixed  programs.  We  are  away  from  the  hide- 
ous noises  of  the  city,  the  clattering  of  horses' 
hoofs  upon  rough  pavements,  the  shrieking  of 
venders  of  various  wares,  the  screeching  and 
grinding  of  the  switch-engine,  the  thundering 
of  the  freight-train,  the  ribald  songs  and  pro- 
fane jesting  and  loud  bawling  of  men  turned 
out  of  saloons,  half-drunken,  reeling  along  our 
streets  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  unre- 
strained disturbers  of  orderly  people,  and  with 
all  sense  of  propriety  gone.  Each  season  has 
its  own  night-song.  There  is  the  song  of  the 
night  when  the  fragrance  of  the  clover  comes 
up  from  the  meadow,  and  the  dew  lies  thick 
95 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

upon  the  greensward,  and  the  stars  great  and 
small  people  the  sky,  and  the  moon  is  wither- 
ing, and  you  are  alone  so  far  as  human  com- 
rades are  concerned,  intently  listening,  and 
you  hear  the  hum  of  the  swift-rushing  blood 
across  the  ear-drum,  the  drum-beats  of  the 
heart  marking  time  for  this  wonderful  on- 
ward-marching life,  and  the  hum  of  myriad  in- 
sects from  grass  and  bush,  and  the  subdued 
hush  of  the  breeze  that  will  not  profane  Na- 
ture's stillness,  and  the  quiet  music  of  the  stars, 
and  the  voiceless  music  of  the  dark.  It  is 
almost  as  still  as  death,  and  yet  vocable  with 
many  sounds  that  blend  into  music  inconceivably 
sweet.  And  one  is  not  sure  but  that  he  has 
passed  earth's  divide  and  stands  on  heaven's 
shore.  And  there  is  the  music  of  the  winter, 
when  the  snow  muffles  the  noises  of  man  and 
covers  the  scars  he  has  made  upon  the  face  of 
mother  earth,  and  the  frost  is  wrapping  the 
wire  fences  and  the  twigs  of  trees  with  fan- 
tastic figures,  and  congealing  the  breath.  Then 
is  heard  the  boisterous  music  of  the  wind  as  in 
stormy  gusts  it  sweeps  across  the  shuddering 
earth  or  trumpets  among  the  branches  of  the 
96 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

trees.  And  when  the  boisterous  wind  has  fin- 
ished, there  is  the  delicate  music  of  frosty  crys- 
tals or  vibrant  snow.  And  the  very  lights  and 
shadows  cast  upon  the  earth  by  the  pale  moon 
seem  to  breathe  forth  faintest  music.  God  has 
filled  even  the  shadows  of  the  night,  the  dark 
places  of  earth,  with  unutterable  music;  and  as 
I  stand  and  listen  and  catch  the  symphony,  my 
own  soul  responds  to  the  melodies  of  God  and 
whispers  His  praises. 

Yes,  John  was  right.  There  are  songs  which 
no  man  can  learn ;  but  man  can  listen,  and  with 
mind  intent  and  heart  in  tune  with  the  Infinite 
can  hear  and  enjoy  and  give  praise. 

There  are  other  songs  which  the  untaught 
man  can  not  sing;  they  lie  outside  of  man's  un- 
aided powers,  beyond  the  limitations  fixed  by 
his  boorishness  and  ignorance  and  sin;  but  these 
are  removable  limits,  and  these  are  songs  that 
may  be  learned,  even  the  "Songs  of  Redemp- 
tion." 

Christ  is  the  Teacher  of  these  songs.  I  have 
spoken  of  man's  greatness  and  remarkable 
achievements.  He  can  not  do  anything  with- 
out God's  help.  He  can  not  cross  the  ocean 
7  97 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

without  calling  upon  God's  forests  and  mines 
to  furnish  him  with  a  ship,  God's  fields  to  fur- 
nish him  with  a  sail,  God's  gardens  to  furnish 
him  with  food  for  the  voyage.  It  is  only  by 
constant  subjection  to  the  laws  and  decrees  of 
God  that  he  can  do  anything,  that  he  can  live, 
that  he  has  being.  But  he  may  achieve  some- 
thing of  greatness  without  acknowledging  God's 
help.  The  son  who  has  been  fed  and  clothed 
and  housed  and  has  inherited  strength  of  body 
from  his  father,  may  use  that  very  strength  to 
strike  his  father  in  the  face.  And  a  man  re- 
ceiving everything  that  is  good  because  of  the 
kindness  of  God,  may  use  these  talents  and  op- 
portunities without  any  recognition  of  God; 
yea,  he  may  curse  God  to  His  face.  But  there 
are  tasks  he  can  not  perform,  there  are  heights 
to  which  he  can  not  climb,  there  are  songs  he 
can  not  sing  except  as  there  is  grateful  recogni- 
tion of  and  willing  surrender  to  the  Son  of  God. 
Jesus  is  Teacher  sent  of  God  to  man.  Obe- 
dience to  Christ  wonderfully  enlarges  the  pros- 
pects and  possibilities  of  life.  As  the  child 
needs  the  teacher  who  is  wiser  to  help  it  to 
plan,  and  wisely  accepts  the  plans  as  the  teacher 
98 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

urges  the  child  to  stop  its  carelessness  and  in- 
dolence and  evil  habits,  and  to  improve  the 
time,  that  it  may  live  a  useful,  honored  life; 
so  is  Christ  to  man  the  Teacher  to  direct  in 
planning,  to  warn  against  the  destroying  forces 
of  life,  to  counsel  and  urge  the  better  things. 
Appreciation  and  love  toward  Christ  which 
leads  to  willing  discipleship,  and  a  regenerated 
heart:  a  heart  out  of  which  the  discord  and 
discontent  have  gone  because  of  His  abiding 
presence,  out  of  which  the  demons  have  fled 
from  before  Him  as  the  demon-infested  swine 
fled  from  before  Him  in  the  land  of  the  Gad- 
arenes,  out  of  which  sin  has  disappeared  as  the 
darkness  disappears  before  the  sun, — become 
the  basis  of  a  new  man  who  can  sing  the  songs 
of  redemption. 

Christ  teaches  us  to  sing  the  "Song  of  Good 
Cheer :"  not  only  when  the  sun  is  shining,  but 
when  the  rain  is  falling;  not  only  when  victory 
is  assured,  but  also  when  defeat  threatens;  not 
only  when  all  things  unite  to  make  life  easy  and 
joyous,  but  also  when  the  very  powers  of  dark- 
ness seem  allied  against  us.  He  teaches  us  the 
"Song  of  Good  Cheer"  containing  the  note  of 
99 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

COURAGE  for  the  fighting  of  battles  against  un- 
tried enemies,  the  making  of  journeys  across  un- 
known territories,  the  daring  to  venture  upon 
any  task  lying  in  the  path  along  which  He  leads 
us;  containing  the  note  of  optimism  which 
refuses  to  be  hushed  in  the  hour  of  seeming  de- 
feat, which  refuses  to  believe  that  Satan  is  mas- 
ter of  this  world,  which  does  believe  that,  how- 
ever long  the  fight  or  bitter  the  struggle,  God 
will  win,  the  fogs  will  lift,  the  darkness  will  be 
dispelled,  and  righteousness  will  come  to  fill 
every  heart  as  the  sunshine  fills  the  gardens 
about  us;  with  its  note  of  contentment  that 
makes  one  at  peace  in  the  modest  home,  living 
quietly  apart  from  mad  seekers  after  wealth 
and  great  houses  and  luxuries,  and  does  not 
pine  and  is  not  jealous  because  of  their  appear- 
ance of  success  and  happiness;  that  makes  one 
at  peace  in  obscurity,  living  contentedly  apart 
from  "the  madding  crowds"  who  are  ever  seek- 
ing after  position,  popularity,  notoriety;  that 
cultivates  modesty,  contrasted  with  boisterous, 
riotous  brawlers. 

"Toiling — rejoicing — sorrowing, 
Onward  through  life  he  goes; 
100 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

Each   morning   sees   some   task   begun, 

Each  evening  sees  its  close ; 
Something    attempted,    something    done, 

Has   earned    a    night's    repose." 

The  follower  of  Christ  is  experiencing  the  truth 
of  the  blessed  promise  of  Paul,  "The  peace  of 
God,  which  passeth  all  understanding,  shall 
keep  your  hearts  and  minds  through  Christ 
Jesus." 

Christ  teaches  us  to  sing  the  "Song  of  Serv- 
ice." The  song  of  labor  is  always  sweet  if  one 
be  not  too  near;  the  doing  of  things,  the  build- 
ing of  houses,  the  writing  of  books,  the  solving 
of  problems,  the  labor  that  makes  man  hap- 
pier and  freer  and  larger  and  brings  him  on 
his  way  up  the  hill  toward  God, — all  of  that 
is  sweet  if  one  is  not  too  near.  But  as  one 
approaches  the  toilers,  whether  at  desk  or  shop 
or  factory,  too  often  he  hears  the  notes  of  dis- 
cord, quarreling  and  disputing  and  jangling, 
fighting  about  the  way  the  task  is  to  be  done, 
and  about  the  returns  of  the  labor,  instead  of 
praising  God  that  together,  with  each  man  in 
his  place,  we  may  do  the  work  for  the  saving 
and  uplifting  of  the  world.  Unselfish  service 
is  the  beautiful  song  with  no  discordant  note 
101 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

to  mar  its  melody.    What  music  is  gendered  by 
the  life  of  service! 

In  describing  "A  Doctor  of  the  Old  School," 
"Ian  Maclaren"  says,  "He  did  his  best  for  the 
need  of  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  this 
wild-straggling  district,  year  in,  year  out,  in  the 
snow  and  in  the  heat,  in  the  dark  and  in  the 
light,  without  rest  and  without  holiday,  for 
forty  years."  This  was  the  favorite  character 
for  Governor  Johnson  of  Minnesota,  who  has 
just  fallen  by  the  way  in  the  midst  of  life's 
duties.  Let  me  read  from  an  editorial  in  one 
of  our  papers:  "Like  his  favorite  character, 
Governor  Johnson  has  gone  about  among  his 
people  for  forty  years,  doing  his  best  for  the 
need  of  every  man,  woman,  and  child,  'in  the 
snow  and  in  the  heat,  in  the  dark  and  in  the 
light.'  "  So  lived  this  remarkable  man,  singing 
the  "Song  of  Service."  Let  me  read  again: 
"A  few  days  ago  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  Mrs. 
Sarah  C.  Clark  celebrated  a  very  unusual  an- 
niversary. For  thirty-two  years  she  had  been 
a  regular  worker  in  the  Pacific  Garden  Mission, 
which  her  husband,  Colonel  George  R.  Clark, 
founded.  Since  his  death,  ten  years  ago,  she 
102 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

has  had  entire  charge  of  the  work  and  has  con- 
ducted meetings  there  for  five  thousand  consec- 
utive nights.  Any  one  who  knows  anything  of 
the  Pacific  Garden  Mission  knows  what  a  power 
for  good  it  has  been  and  is.  Into  that  hopper 
has  been  poured  the  scourings  of  humanity,  the 
murderer,  the  crook,  the  harlot,  the  starving, 
the  dregs  of  the  underworld;  and  out  of  the 
mill  has  come  the  regenerated,  the  square  man, 
the  honest  one,  the  decent  woman,  fed  and 
clothed.  Five  thousand  consecutive  nights  la- 
boring for  the  good  of  the  world!  Not  {ive 
thousand  nights  of  shifting  pasteboards  in  a 
senseless  effort  to  win  a  prize  that  can  be  bought 
for  fifty  cents ;  not  five  thousand  nights  of  feast- 
ing and  drinking  to  injure  the  natural  organs  of 
the  body;  not  five  thousand  nights  in  the  reck- 
less pursuit  of  a  will-o'-the-wisp  that  leads  to 
a  slough  of  despond:  but  five  thousand  nights 
of  devotion  to  a  sacred  duty;  five  thousand 
nights  of  laboring  with  the  sin-sick  and  the 
weary;  five  thousand  nights  of  demonstrating 
how  great  are  the  possibilities  of  human  exer- 
tion and  how  glorious  are  the  results  that  are 
bound  to  come.  Five  thousand  nights  of  selfish- 
103 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

ness  or  five  thousand  nights  of  sacrifice?  The 
lamented  Governor  of  Minnesota,  the  brave 
little  woman  of  Pacific  Garden  Mission,  give 
the  answer  and  point  the  way."  But  these  are 
not  all.  The  slum-workers  at  home,  the  mis- 
sion-workers abroad,  the  man  at  home  in  busi- 
ness, among  friends  or  among  strangers,  whose 
heart  is  filled  with  the  spirit  and  love  of  Jesus 
Christ,  who  is  living  the  Christ-life,  doing  good 
to  all  men,  doing  good  to  them  which  despite- 
fully  use  him,  counting  his  life  of  great  account 
only  as  it  can  be  used  to  bring  blessing  and  peace 
and  joy  to  other  lives,  that  man  is  singing  the 
"Song  of  Service." 

Jesus  teaches  the  "Song  of  Heaven,"  sung  by 
those  whose  robes  of  white  are  the  purity  of 
heart  He  has  brought  to  those  who  serve  Him; 
whose  palm-branches  are  symbols  of  victory, 
sorrows  having  ceased,  and  pains  having  been 
conquered  and  cast  aside;  whose  voices  are  the 
voices  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  and  grati- 
tude to  the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world.  We  shall  sing  there,  some 
day,  a  part  of  that  chorus  whose  music  no  ear 
hath  heard  in  its  fullness  or  mind  conceived  in 
104 


NATURE  AND  REDEMPTION 

its  richness.  But  now,  as  we  journey  on  toward 
heaven,  more  and  more  of  that  music  of  the 
heavenly  song  is  in  our  hearts. 

There  are  songs  that  no  man  can  learn  but 
the  redeemed  of  the  Lord.  But  there  is  the 
Christ  over  against  every  man,  the  Teacher 
from  God  who  seeks  to  come  into  every  heart 
and  teach  every  man  to  sing  the  "Song  of 
Purity,"  the  "Song  of  Good  Cheer,"  the  "Song 
of  Service,"  the  "Song  of  Eternity."  He  is  so 
eager  to  teach  every  one,  to  teach  you,  that  He 
died  to  bring  it  to  pass;  so  eager  that  He  dwells 
with  us  for  evermore;  so  eager  that  He  knocks 
at  the  door  of  your  heart.  "To-day,  if  ye  will 
hear  His  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts." 


105 


IV 
THE  IMMANENT  GOD 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

"Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous 
man  his  thoughts:  and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord,  and  He 
will  have  mercy  upon  him;  and  to  our  God,  for  He  will 
abundantly  pardon.  For  My  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts, 
neither  are  your  ways  My  ways,  saith  the  Lord.  For  as  the 
heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  My  ways  higher, 
than  your  ways,  and  My  thoughts  than  your  thoughts.  For 
as  the  rain  cometh  down,  and  the  snow  from  heaven,  and 
returneth  not  thither,  but  watereth  the  earth,  and  maketh  it 
bring  forth  and  bud,  that  it  may  give  seed  to  the  sower, 
and  bread  to  the  eater:  so  shall  My  word  be  that  goeth  forth 
out  of  My  mouth:  it  shall  not  return  unto  Me  void,  but  it 
shall  accomplish  that  which  I  please,  and  it  shall  prosper  in 
the  thing  whereto  I  sent  it.  For  ye  shall  go  out  with  joy, 
and  be  led  forth  with  peace:  the  mountains  and  the  hills 
shall  break  forth  before  you  into  singing,  and  all  the  trees 
of  the  field  shall  clap  their  hands.  Instead  of  the  thorn  shall 
come  up  the  fir  tree,  and  instead  of  the  brier  shall  come 
up  the  myrtle  tree:  and  it  shall  be  to  the  Lord  for  a  name, 
for  an  everlasting  sign  that  shall  not  be  cut  off." — Isaiah 
55:7-i3- 

"Thou,  Lord,  in  the  beginning  hast  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  earth ;  and  the  heavens  are  the  works  of  Thine  hands ; 
they  shall  perish;  but  Thou  remainest;  and  they  shall  wax 
old  as  doth  a  garment;  and  as  a  vesture  shalt  Thou  fold 
them  up,  and  they  shall  be  changed :  but  Thou  art  the  same, 
and  Thy  years  shall  not  fail." — Hebrews  i  :  10-12. 

"Shall  the  ax  boast  itself  against  him  that  heweth  there- 
with? Or  shall  the  saw  magnify  itself  against  him  that 
shaketh  it?  As  if  the  rod  should  shake  itself  against  them 
that  lift  it  up,  or  as  if  the  staff  should  lift  up  itself,  as  if  it 
were  no  wood." — Isaiah  10:15. 


IV 


"The   Creator   of   the   ends   of   the   earth   fainteth   not." — 
Isaiah  49 :  28. 

UPON    these    consecutive    Sabbath-days 
we  are  seeking  for  evidences  of  God 
in  the  world,  in  history,  in  literature, 
in  man's  body,  in  man's  mind;  to-day  we  seek 
for  Him  in  the  natural,  material  world. 

The  word  "evidence"  is  used  deliberately. 
The  erudite  philosopher  or  psychologist  may 
object  to  the  word  and  declare  that  God  does 
not  evidence  Himself,  and  it  may  be  true  that 
there  is  a  sense  in  which  the  charge  is  correct. 
Perhaps,  according  to  the  philosophical  stand- 
ards, God  can  not  be  proven.  But  to  me  in 
my  plain,  simple  thinking  these  are  evidences, 
are  proofs;  and  I  think  that  the  average  man 
is  little  concerned  with  philosophical  subtleties, 
and  finds  or  will  find  upon  investigation  what 
I  find :  that  here  are  evidences  that  satisfy  him 
as  to  the  existence  of  God — such  a  God  as  the 
109 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

Christians  believe  in  and  worship;  and  through 
such  investigation  he  may  come  to  worship 
Him.  To  me  God  proves  Himself,  and  I  pre- 
sent to-day  one  of  the  evidences. 

The  text  is  a  comprehensive  sentence.  Isaiah 
asserts  that  God  is  the  Creator  of  the  earth. 
It  is  not  an  orphan ;  did  not,  like  Topsy,  simply 
grow;  did  not  spring  into  being  of  its  own  vo- 
lition or  accidentally  happen  to  be.  God  is  the 
Creator  of  everything  contained  in  the  uni- 
verse; not  simply  primal  conditions,  not  simply 
matter  and  force  and  space :  every  star  and  con- 
stellation is  builded  by  Him,  and  every  moun- 
tain and  valley,  and  every  shifting  hill  of  sand, 
and  every  forest  and  plain,  every  flower  and 
bird.  God  is  the  Maker  of  everything  that  is, 
even  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  And  He  fainteth 
not;  He  is  not  far  away,  is  not  taking  a  vaca- 
tion or  resting:  He  is  busy  at  work  here  and 
now. 

The  text  includes  all  of  the  findings  of  science. 
Science  has  to  do  with  observations,  the  study 
of  things  as  they  are  and  have  come  to  be,  and 
how  they  conduct  themselves.  Science  is  the 
keen-eyed  man  seeing  things;  and  all  that  has 
110 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

been  seen  or  will  be,  is  here  told  as  the  work 
which  the  Creator  is  doing  in  His  universe. 
The  text  includes  all  of  philosophy  in  a  nut- 
shell.     Philosophy  takes   the   facts   which   the 


^B^    •4*!p 

'"tlti&iito*. 

AM- 

pm 

'-^r^*m*K}i£t 

A  SHIFTING  HILL  OF  SAND 


scientist  has  gathered  and  draws  conclusions 
from  them,  and  here  is  the  final  conclusion  that 
this  is  God's  earth  and  He  is  in  it,  doing  things. 
The  thought  is  so  simple  that  "wayfaring  men, 
though  fools,  shall  not  err  therein."  They  may 
not  know  the  details  of  botany  as  the  botanist 
111 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

does  who  has  given  his  life  to  this  study  and 
has  written  volumes  containing  the  information 
he  has  gathered,  but  in  the  last  analysis  they 
stand  with  the  botanist,  able  only  to  say  that 
God  is  the  Builder  of  the  flower.  They  may 
not  have  any  technical  knowledge  of  astronomy, 
may  not  be  able  to  call  the  stars  by  name,  or 
point  out  the  constellations  as  they  slowly  and 
nightly  move  across  the  dome  of  heaven ;  they 
may  be  ignorant  of  the  nebular  hypothesis  and 
the  Copernican  theory  and  the  transmission  of 
light,  but  fundamentally  they  stand  where  the 
most  learned  astronomer  stands,  with  the  con- 
fession upon  their  lips  that  God  is  the  Builder 
of  the  universe. 

Not  all  men  see  these  simple,  great  truths; 
that  is  true.  Some  get  so  puzzled  with  mate- 
rial things,  and  enamored  by  them,  that  they 
do  not  see  through  and  beyond  to  the  mighty 
God,  the  Source  of  material  things.  Some  get 
so  fascinated  and  blinded  by  the  processes  of 
making  things,  studying  how  they  are  made  so 
intently  as  not  to  look  beyond  to  the  Maker 
of  them.  It  is  easily  possible  for  a  man  to 
get  lost  in  and  bewildered  by  details,  A  man 
112 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

on  the  mountain-side  may  be  scanning  so  in- 
tently the  little  hills  and  valleys  in  the  midst 
of  which  he  walks  as  to  fail  to  see  the  great 
mountain  which  carries  these  upon  its  shoul- 
ders and  which  towers  above  them.  So  a  man 
may  walk  in  the  midst  of  suns  and  stars,  of 
land  and  sea,  of  beast  and  bird,  and  fail  to  see 
the  mighty  God  who  holds  them  in  the  hollow 
of  His  hand  and  who  towers  above  them.  A 
man  may  look  eagerly  into  the  face  of  Nature 
and  fail  to  recognize  in  the  multitudinous 
changes  and  diversities  that  the  unchanging  God 
is  the  great  Essential.  I  am  asking  you  to  go 
with  me  in  thought  to-day  along  some  of  the 
highways  and  byways  of  Nature  with  the  intent 
that  we  may  come  face  to  face  with  God. 

Need  I  apologize  for  preaching  a  Nature- 
sermon?  Is  there  danger  of  making  it  a  theme 
too  pronounced?  Why,  I  might  as  well  apolo- 
gize for  repeated  readings  of  the  Bible.  These 
are  teachers  sent  from  God,  and  until  we  know 
Him  as  He  is  we  will  need  to  read  and  re-read 
these  volumes.  Until  God  has  grown  weary 
of  writing  Nature-sermons,  let  me  not  grow 
weary  of  preaching  them.  Though  I  behold 
8  113 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

the  wings  of  the  morning  as  they  fan  the  east- 
ern sky  with  their  pinions  of  orange  and  red, 
He  is  there.  And  when  the  sun  gilds  the  west- 
ern sky  or  paints  the  dappled  clouds  with  purple 
and  lilac,  He  is  there.  And  where  He  is  we 
shall  make  no  mistake  if  we  go  and  seek  to 
learn  what  He  busies  Himself  about. 

There  are  certain  men  who  say  that  God  is 
not  in  Nature,  they  do  not  find  Him  there. 
(Perhaps  they  do  not  seek  Him  there.)  Most 
conspicuous  in  this  group  is  the  churchman; 
more  conspicuous  than  the  scientist  or  even  the 
atheist,  perhaps  because  we  expect  better  things 
of  him ;  but  perhaps,  also,  because  his  followers 
are  more  numerous,  and  also  because  he  often 
is  more  positive  in  his  convictions  and  more 
thunderous  in  his  declarations.  This  particular 
man  in  the  Church  denies  that  God  is  in  Na- 
ture because  it  is  easier  to  deny  than  to  explain 
existing  conditions  in  the  world  if  God  has  any- 
thing to  do  with  it.  There  is  so  much  of  suf- 
fering and  cruelty  and  death.  The  fox  kills 
the  rabbit ;  the  pickerel  pursues  and  mangles  and 
swallows  alive  the  smaller  fish;  the  dragon-fly 
is  more  savage  and  bloodthirsty  than  mytho- 
114 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

logical  dragons,  as  it  lies  in  wait  or  follows  and 
seizes  and  kills  some  fly  or  other  insect. 

Indeed,  is  it  not  always  life  at  the  expense 
of  other  life?  The  beetle  kills  the  plant  that 
it  may  live;  the  frog  swallows  the  beetle,  the 
snake  the  frog;  the  bird  preys  upon  the  snake, 
and  the  bird,  when  asleep,  is  surprised  and 
killed  by  the  pine  marten.  Life  builds  up  by 
destroying  other  life.  And  this  is  not  all.  The 
storm  rages,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  birds 
lie  dead  in  its  wake.  The  cyclone  sweeps  across 
the  country,  and  ruin  and  death  are  its  results. 
The  earthquake  throws  the  ground  into  convul- 
sions, buildings  topple  over,  fires  are  enkindled, 
and  human  lives  by  hundreds  are  destroyed; 
the  flood  rages  in  the  river-valley  of  the  Yang- 
ste-Kiang  or  other  river,  and  thousands  are 
drowned.  In  India  the  monsoon  does  not  come, 
the  famine  spreads,  and  the  groans  of  the  dying 
fill  the  air;  or  pestilence  creeps  through  the 
country  with  stealthy  movements,  leaving  its  vic- 
tims everywhere.  And  there  are  the  maimed 
and  halt  and  blind,  the  deformed.  A  dark, 
somber  picture  is  portrayed.  This  is  not  the 
time  to  show  that  this  can  be  explained  in  har- 
115 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

mony  with  the  plan  of  the  beneficent  God  for 
the  uplift  and  progress  of  the  world,  to  show 
that  the  law  of  sacrifice  is  everywhere  at  work, 
compulsory  or  voluntary.  But  many,  seeing  the 
somberness  of  the  picture,  simply  give  the  world 
over  to  the  devil. 

This  attitude  of  the  churchman  is  also  partly 
explainable  as  the  outcome  of  the  Augustinian 
philosophy.  There  are  places  at  the  crest  of 
the  watershed  where  the  water  may  very  easily 
be  turned  in  either  direction,  so  as  to  flow  to 
opposite  points  of  the  compass.  But  later  on, 
when  the  stream  has  become  a  mighty  river 
with  great  banks,  it  would  be  well-nigh  impos- 
sible to  change  the  direction  of  the  current.  So 
is  the  history  of  schools  of  thinkers.  When  a 
system  of  thought  originated  with  some  man, 
it  would  not  have  been  difficult  to  have  cor- 
rected, contradicted,  denied,  or  changed  the  di- 
rection of  the  current  of  thought;  but  the  sys- 
tem grows,  its  followers  multiply,  it  becomes 
entrenched,  other  schools  of  thought  are  fash- 
ioned by  it,  it  becomes  "set,"  rigid,  and  inelastic. 
Many  even  look  upon  a  system  of  thought  as 
divine  because  it  has  long  been  accepted,  and 
116 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

one  is  counted  a  heretic  who  dares  to  question 
or  oppose,  though  his  right  should  be  as  un- 
questioned as  that  of  the  originator,  and  his  in- 
formation may  be  superior. 

Long  ago  Augustine  fathered  the  idea  that 
God  did  His  work  with  the  world  in  six  literal 
days,  and  then  went  off  and  left  it,  being,  as 
Carlyle  would  say,  a  kind  of  absentee-God,  sit- 
ting on  the  rim  of  the  universe  or  winding  up 
the  world  like  an  alarm-clock,  and  then  going 
away  and  leaving  it  to  run  down  or  smash. 
Augustine  was  a  mighty  man  for  good,  but  his 
theories  in  a  field  where  he  was  ignorant  have 
done  the  Church  much  harm.  Now,  perhaps 
growing  out  of  the  above  conditions,  many  have 
come  to  believe  that  God's  only  relation  to  Na- 
ture is  to  upset  its  workings  or  to  interfere  with 
them  now  and  then.  And  a  miracle  is  conceived 
as  God  contradicting  Nature.  God  is  in  Nature 
only  when  He  speaks  to  the  storm,  and  the  sea 
becomes  quiet;  speaks  to  the  water,  and  it  be- 
comes wine ;  speaks  to  the  fig  tree,  and  the  leaves 
wither;  instead  of  recognizing  that  God  is  in 
the  storm  as  well  as  the  sleeping  sea,  in  the 
water  as  well  as  the  wine,  in  the  fig  tree  when 
117 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

the  leaves  do  not  wither  as  well  as  when  they 
do.  They  think  of  God  as  fighting  against 
Nature  and  seeking  to  conquer  and  control  it 
just  as  we  do,  instead  of  being  its  Maker  and 
Ruler. 

With  the  ordinary  procession  of  Nature,  God 
has  nothing  to  do.  Only  the  unexplainable 
things  are  of  His  doing,  such  as  the  making 
of  force,  matter,  life,  species.  The  result  is  that 
the  world  under  normal  conditions,  when  some- 
thing unusual  is  not  occurring,  has  been  sepa- 
rated from  God  and  either  abandoned  or  con- 
signed to  the  devil.  As  some  spiritualistic  me- 
dium borrows  a  table  and  uses  it  only  for  table- 
tippings,  rappings,  and  other  grotesque  phe- 
nomena, so  God  is  conceived  as  borrowing  the 
world  or  taking  possession  of  it  now  and  then 
for  some  table-tipping  seance,  but  it  is  left  to 
care  for  itself  in  its  sober,  serious  moments. 
God  is  juggling  and  performing  tricks  with  the 
world.  He  is  seen  in  the  burning  bush,  but  not 
in  the  bushes  everywhere  growing  and  blossom- 
ing and  bearing  fruit;  in  the  whale  when  it 
swallowed  Jonah,  but  not  when  it  sports  with 
the  waves  of  the  sea  and  spouts  geyser-like 
118 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

streams  of  water  and  spray  into  the  air;  in  the 
mountain  when  Moses  received  and  wrote  the 
Ten  Commandments,  but  not  when  the  storms 
play  about  its  brow  and  the  snows  gather  upon 
its  sides;  in  the  sea  when  Jesus  spoke  to  the 
storm,  but  not  when  it  tossed  the  frightened 
mariners ;  in  the  fig  tree  when  it  was  cursed,  but 
not  when  it  was  a  blessing  to  humanity  by  bear- 
ing its  harvest  of  fruit. 

I  have  heard  a  minister  say  that  when  the 
transmutation  of  species  could  be  explained  he 
would  give  up  his  Christianity,  and  have  heard 
others  make  similar  statements.  Do  we  under- 
stand the  import  of  this  foolhardy  statement? 
Foolhardy  because,  if  meant,  it  means  that 
Christianity  will  need  to  be  abandoned;  fool- 
hardy again,  because  it  is  putting  a  premium  on 
ignorance.  I  will  believe  in  God  as  long  as  I 
can  not  know  much  about  Him  and  His  way 
of  doing  things;  but  when  the  world  knows 
how  He  is  creating  life  or  forms  of  life,  I  will 
give  up  my  faith  in  Him.  By  this  position  the 
Church  has  lost  much,  when  it  ought  to  be 
learning  all  that  it  can  about  God  and  ought 
to  be  praising  Him  for  every  addition  to  truth 
119 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

and  for  every  discovery  as  to  His  workings  in 
His  world.  To  the  man  taking  this  position 
let  me  say  again  that  he  is  throwing  himself  be- 
fore the  engine,  foolishly.  The  human  mind 
craves  the  truth  because  God  has  endowed  it 
with  that  passion,  and  it  will  run  to  and  fro 
through  the  whole  earth,  seeking  to  know  all 
that  it  can  about  the  world;  and  instead  of  ob- 
jecting and  denouncing,  we  will  do  the  Church 
service  if  we  appropriate  and  rejoice  that  we 
know  more  about  the  way  in  which  God  is  do- 
ing things. 

Then  there  is  the  scientist  (some  of  them) 
who  is  studying,  investigating,  learning,  gather- 
ing facts,  drawing  conclusions,  without  taking 
God  into  account;  and  sometimes  he  seems  able 
to  get  along  without  God.  And  the  position 
of  this  man  has  been  dictated  largely  by  the 
attitude  of  the  Church.  It  has  said  that  God 
is  only  in  the  abnormal,  the  unnatural,  the  un- 
explainable,  the  unlawful.  It  is  the  well-known 
division  of  natural  and  supernatural.  What  is 
understood  as  working  according  to  natural 
laws  is  not  divine;  what  is  beyond  this,  not  un- 
derstood, not  explainable  according  to  natural 
120 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

law,  is  divine,  God's  realm.     And  the  scientist 
has  accepted  the  Church's  definition. 

Now,  at  first  it  seemed  a  safe  position.  How- 
ever erroneous  it  might  be,  the  unknown  realm 
was  so  great ;  there  was  so  much  room  for  God. 
As  if  five  hundred  years  ago  the  Church  had 
said  that  the  civilized  part  of  the  world  be- 
longed to  man,  the  rest  to  God.  At  that  time 
it  would  have  left  God  plenty  of  room.  But 
Amerigo  Vespucci  came,  Columbus  came,  Cor- 
tez  and  Magellan  and  Hudson  and  Franklin 
and  Lewis  and  Clark,  until  the  unknown  world 
has  been  added  to  the  known,  practically  every 
bit  of  territory  explored,  and  by  such  a  division 
God  has  been  driven  from  His  possessions. 
Now  that  very  thing  has  happened  in  the  think- 
ing world  by  such  a  superficial  defining  of  nat- 
ural and  supernatural.  At  first  so  little  was 
known  and  explainable  that  God  seemed  to  be 
secure;  but  now,  by  patient  investigation,  igno- 
rance has  changed  to  knowledge,  the  unexplored 
has  been  explored,  the  "unexplainable"  is  ex- 
plained by  the  children  in  the  grammar-school. 
Students  have  explored  the  realm  of  light  and 
heat  and  gravitation  and  ether  and  electricity 
121 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

and  color  and  species  and  life,  not  learning  all 
about  them,  but  learning  enough  to  bring  them 
within  the  realm  of  law,  of  what  we  call  natural 
law,  until  Comte,  accepting  the  dictum  of  the 
Church  and  seeing  the  increasing  knowledge  of 
natural  law,  says  that  "science  will  finally  con- 
duct God  to  the  frontier,  and  bow  Him  out 
with  thanks  for  His  personal  services." 

Others  of  this  group  of  scientists  have  delib- 
erately or  otherwise  confused  cause  and  method, 
and  here  has  come  the  harm.  For  example, 
evolution  as  a  method  of  creation  is  noble,  and 
adds  dignity  and  glory  to  God  the  Creator. 
Evolution  is  the  process  of  creation  God  has 
employed.  But  evolution  assumed  as  casual  is 
absurd.  Life  is  seen  producing  life,  and  is  as- 
sumed as  casual  instead  of  a  method  of  per- 
petuating life.  This  man  makes  heat  and  light 
and  moisture  and  soil  causes  for  the  growth  of 
wheat,  and  in  his  extravagant,  delirious  mo- 
ments declares  that  "food  produces  brains,  and 
brains  produce  thought;"  that  Hamlet  and  the 
Messiah  and  the  Sistine  Madonna  are  caused 
by  wheat  and  beef.  Or  the  "laws  of  Nature" 
supplant  God,  and  it  is  assumed  that  they  ex- 
122 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

plain  everything  or  will  account  for  everything, 
and  thus  the  laws  are  made  potential  and  self- 
operative.  They  are  a  kind  of  perpetual-motion 
machine,  doing  their  work  without  requiring  an 
Initiator  or  a  Controller.  Such  reasoning  is 
illogical.  A  law  is  but  an  expression  of  a  will 
or  personality.  And  the  one  who  supplants 
God  by  natural  law  merely  deifies  those  laws  or 
reads  into  them  the  attributes  of  God. 

But  if  the  above  statements  are  taken  as  state- 
ments of  method,  all  difficulty  and  inconsistency 
and  ground  for  quarreling  vanish.  God  has  en- 
dowed life  with  the  power  of  propagating  life, 
or  God  works  through  life  to  produce  life ;  God 
employs  heat  and  light  and  moisture  and  fer- 
tility of  soil  to  react  upon  the  kernel  of  wheat, 
and  thus  causes  it  to  grow  and  multiply.  God 
has  fashioned  us  in  such  form  that  food  may 
be  built  into  brain,  and  He  has  associated  the 
mind  and  body  in  intimate  relationship,  not  yet 
well  understood  by  us,  and  the  condition  of  the 
body  has  its  influence  upon  the  mind  and 
thought.  With  the  scientist  taking  this  view- 
point, as  many  do,  we  have  a  common  meeting- 
place.  The  churchman,  particularly  interested 
123 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

in  God's  dealing  with  humanity,  still  rejoices 
for  all  the  knowledge  that  may  be  gained  as  to 
the  way  God  has  been  building  the  world  and 
is  carrying  it  on.  And  the  scientist  seeking 
knowledge  of  God  in  the  material  world  fellow- 
ships with  the  churchman  in  praise  of  God,  and 
with  him  worships  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  appre- 
ciating what  the  churchman  is  doing  to  learn 
of  God's  activities  in  the  spiritual  realm  and  for 
applied  Christianity. 

The  bombastic  egotist  who  struts  back  and 
forth  before  the  public  eye  and  loudly  asserts 
that  he  has  not  seen  God,  and  HE  has  been  look- 
ing for  Him  in  the  laboratory  with  scalpel  and 
reagent  and  test-tube ;  that  he  has  been  looking 
in  the  minute  world  with  the  microscope,  in  the 
skies  with  the  telescope,  deserves  only  to  be  ig- 
nored, left  alone,  that  he  may  strut  and  exalt 
his  ego  to  his  heart's  content.  But  the  scientist 
and  the  churchman  both  honestly  and  meekly 
and  reverently  seeking  after  the  truth  are  broth- 
ers exploring  mysteries,  facing  the  problems 
created  by  One  God.  And  though  the  paths 
may  lead  along  different  levels  and  into  differ- 
ent territory,  they  should  bid  each  other  God- 
124 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

speed  and  rejoice  in  each  other's  achievements, 
remembering  that  whatever  is  done  is  helping 
to  solve  the  common  problem,  to  lessen  the  com- 
mon ignorance. 

To  these  men,  these  brothers,  Isaiah  through 
this  text  is  suggesting  that  God  is  not  past,  but 
present;  is  not  accidental  and  grotesque  in 
His  conduct,  but  orderly;  and  that  the  laws 
governing  the  world  are  God-made  and  God- 
sustained  and  God-enforced.  This  is  God's 
world,  and  He  is  in  it,  looking  after  it,  and 
caring  for  it,  never  wearied  nor  asleep.  And 
we  will  look  for  Him  now. 

In  the  fascinating  story  of  "Robinson  Cru- 
soe," for  boys  (and  men;  I  re-read  it  the  other 
day) ,  do  you  recall  how  Crusoe,  walking  by 
the  sea  on  the  farther  side  of  the  island,  found 
footprints  in  the  sand;  how  he  looked  far  and 
wide  for  the  man  who  had  made  the  footprints, 
without  avail;  wherever  he  looked,  out  to  sea, 
along  the  beach,  or  into  the  valley  or  forest, 
he  did  not  see  a  man,  but  the  footprints  were 
evidence  enough  to  Crusoe  that  there  were  men 
about  and  they  would  have  to  be  reckoned  with? 
We  can  not  see  God  with  these  eyes  or  feel  Him 
125 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

with  these  hands  as  we  can  see  the  stars  and 
hills  or  feel  the  pebble  or  seashell.  He  is  not 
a  God  of  flesh  and  blood;  but  we  can  find,  can 
see  His  footprints  on  the  earth.  These  foot- 
prints satisfy  us  that  He  is  about  and  is  to  be 
reckoned  with.  And  we  will  look  at  a  few 
of  these  footprints  now. 

First,  God  is  the  great  Origin,  the  primal 
Cause.  At  the  end  of  a  man's  thinking,  as  he 
goes  back  and  back,  this  stands  not  only  as  the 
opening  sentence  of  the  Bible,  God's  written 
word,  but  also  as  the  opening  sentence  of  the 
universe,  God's  material  word,  "In  the  begin- 
ning God."  Let  us  look,  first,  from  the  center 
to  the  circumference.  Comparing  the  universe 
to  a  great  wheel,  God  is  not  sitting  upon  the 
rim  of  it,  but  God  is  sitting  at  the  hub;  nay, 
rather,  God  is  the  hub.  In  the  beginning  there 
is  only  God,  only  hub.  But  in  the  fullness  of 
time  and  according  to  His  will  His  power  mani- 
fests itself  in  various  ways:  force,  space,  ether, 
electricity,  matter,  light,  heat,  life,  conscious- 
ness. The  wheel  is  building,  and  these  words 
may  be  likened  to  the  spokes  in  the  wheel;  not 
that  all  of  them  are  co-ordinate  or  of  equal 
126 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

value,  but  they  are  mighty  group-words  in  our 
thinking,  and  thus  may  be  used  for  illustration. 
Under  each  of  these  and  similar  words  we  group 
other  words,  things,  ideas  as  subordinate  to 
them,  and  by  so  doing  we  are  building  the  rim 
of  the  wheel.  The  fault  with  this  figure  is  that 
it  is  mechanical,  and  the  universe  is  not  me- 
chanical; it  is  an  evolution,  a  growth,  but  the 
figure  will  illustrate  God's  relation  to  His  world. 
The  human  mind,  however,  does  not  work 
from  the  hub  to  the  circumference;  it  really 
works  by  process  of  synthesis  from  the  rim  to 
the  hub.  It  is  in  touch  with  details  which  come 
to  it  through  the  senses,  and  from  these  it  learns 
of  the  fundamentals;  it  is  tarrying  first  on  the 
rim  of  the  wheel.  A  man  sees  running  water, 
stagnant  water,  water  in  rivers,  water  in  lakes, 
fresh  water  and  salt  water,  water  under  various 
conditions.  He  sees  cloud  and  vapor,  fog  and 
dew,  rain  and  snow,  ice  and  sleet.  The  mind 
is  synthesizing,  it  grasps  the  idea  that  water 
manifests  itself  in  various  ways,  but  water  is 
the  common  term.  A  man  learns  of  the  Cau- 
casian and  Mongolian  and  Ethiopian,  of  the 
Semitic  and  anti-Semitic  races,  of  men  who  are 
127 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

tall  and  who  are  short,  fat  and  lean,  old  and 
young,  sluggish  and  agile.  Here  are  multitudes 
of  details,  but  one  day  he  sees  that  man  is  the 
common  term,  and  he  has  made  notable  advance 
when  he  has  grasped  the  group-word.  Again 
he  sees  man,  horse,  bird,  fish,  snake,  mollusk, 
and  many  other  living  things,  a  multitude  of 
details;  but  one  day  the  man  sees  that  life  is 
the  common  factor,  the  fundamental  term  in  all 
of  these  details.  So  he  studies  lightning,  mag- 
netism, the  aurora  borealis,  and  discovers  elec- 
tricity as  the  group-word.  So  he  finds  atom, 
ether,  gravitation.  He  is  building  spokes  in  the 
wheel.  The  mind  is  on  the  backward  track 
searching  for  beginnings,  causes,  fundamentals. 
It  is  asking  now  what  is  the  common  term,  the 
fundamental  principle  or  cause  from  which  these 
spokes  have  sprung.  It  is  standing  now,  facing 
the  center  of  the  wheel,  the  beginning  of  things, 
and  it  says,  "God  is  the  Beginning,  the  Center 
of  the  wheel,  of  the  universe. " 

This  is  not  removing  all  of  the  mystery  and 

ignorance  involved  in  the  idea  of  God.     He  is 

forever  beyond  us  and  impossible  to  us.     We 

are  not  coming  and  can  not  come  to  the  center 

128 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

of  the  hub;  our  continued  investigations  and 
added  knowledge  but  extend  the  rim  of  the 
wheel  farther  out.  But  whatever  ignorance  is 
involved  in  this  idea  of  God  as  the  beginning, 
there  is  ignorance  and  despair  besides  in  every 
other  view.  Browning  strikingly  expresses  the 
contrast  thus : 

"All  we  have  gained  by  our  unbelief 
Is  a  life  of  doubt  diversified  by  faith, 
For  one  of  faith  diversified  by  doubt: 
We  called  the   chess-board  white, — we  call   it  black." 

Knowing  something  of  the  writings  of  Spencer 
and  Huxley  and  Haeckel  and  their  class,  I  say 
that  what  is  lacking  in  their  positions  and  is 
present  here  is  a  workable,  conceivable  theory 
that  does  not  leave  a  man  lost  in  the  woods, 
as  Huxley  would  have  it,  but  holds  ever  before 
him  a  definite  aim  and  plan  and  hope.  What- 
ever others  may  say,  my  mind  demands  a  First 
Cause,  where  it  may  rest.  Until  then,  whatever 
it  learns,  it  is  not  satisfied  but  wanders  on,  cry- 
ing night  and  day,  asking,  "What  is  beyond? 
What  is  beyond?"  and  only  rests  and  is  con- 
tent when  it  is  facing  Him  and  resting  there, 
"In  the  beginning,  God." 
9  129 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

Again,  my  mind  recognizes  and  demands  God 
as  Creator.  Man  is  a  maker,  but  not  a  creator. 
He  can  take  existing  things  and  reshape  them 
and  fashion  them  anew;  but  in  all  of  his  won- 
derful works  he  only  changes  what  already  is; 
he  does  not  call  into  existence.  But  a  creator  is 
demanded;  not  merely  one  who  can  fashion 
things,  but  one  who  can  call  things  into  exist- 
ence, who  can  cause  that  to  be  which  has  not 
been.  Man  fashions  material  substances:  God 
calls  matter  itself  into  existence.  Man  can 
measurably  control  life:  God  creates  life.  Man 
can  measurably  develop  consciousness :  God  cre- 
ates consciousness.  If  somebody  asserts  that 
consciousness  is  a  manifestation  of  life,  I  do 
not  deny,  but  only  say  that  if  it  is  in  life,  it 
had  to  be  put  there.  Nothing  can  be  gotten 
out  of  life  that  has  not  been  put  into  life,  out 
of  matter  that  has  not  been  put  into  matter, 
out  of  energy  that  has  not  been  put  into  energy. 
Clear  thinking  holds  us  to  this  position.  If 
this  is  not  true  we  are  lost.  By  what  method 
these  creations  came  to  be  I  do  not  attempt 
to  say;  but  some  time,  somewhere,  somehow 
these  things  came  to  be;  and  the  one  who 
130 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

caused  them  to  be,  by  that  act  is  creator;  we 
call  Him  God. 

The  very  orderliness  and  intricacy  of  crea- 
tion make  the  deduction  doubly  convincing. 
We  refuse  to  believe,  can  not  believe,  that  these 
things  could  possibly  come  by  chance.  Napo- 
leon silences  the  speculations  of  his  officers  con- 
cerning God  by  pointing  to  the  stars  he  has 
been  contemplating,  so  beautiful,  so  mighty,  so 
orderly,  so  harmonious,  and  asking  them  who 
was  maker  of  them.  Lord  Kelvin,  the  great 
physicist,  walking  with  Liebig,  the  renowned 
scientist,  asks  whether  he  believes  that  flowers 
can  be  accounted  for  in  terms  of  chemistry  and 
physics,  and  receives  a  reply  in  the  negative; 
they  require  a  Creator  who  has  made  them  by 
manipulating  these  forces.  Beattie,  the  learned 
Scotchman,  schools  his  child  and  declares  his 
own  belief  in  God  as  Creator  by  planting 
flowers  in  rows  to  spell  the  child's  name,  when 
growing.  The  child  is  positive  upon  finding 
the  growing  name  that  it  could  not  have  been 
accidental,  by  chance;  somebody  did  it.  And 
Beattie  taught  the  child  that  by  the  same  de- 
ductions an  orderly  world  was  not  here  by 
131 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

chance,  but  by  the  planning  and  power  of  a 
mighty  God.  With  most  of  us,  at  least,  this 
truth  is  axiomatic.  We  find  a  watch  and  insist 
that  there  must  be  a  Builder.  We  look  at  the 
mountains  lifting  their  brawny  shoulders  above 
the  clouds,  the  mighty  canyon  deep  in  whose 
throat  the  river  gurgles,  the  sun  unwearyingly 
running  his  race  day  after  day,  and  refuse  to 
believe  that  these  things  are  accidental  or  pos- 
sible without  being  created;  they  are  God's  foot- 
prints, God's  finger-marks.  Back  of  them  we 
see  a  Creator. 

Again,  we  find  God  as  the  Omnipotent.  We 
look  at  the  skyscraper  man  has  built,  towering 
twenty  or  thirty  stories  high,  far  above  the  sur- 
rounding buildings,  and  we  wonder  at  man's 
audacity  and  ability  until  we  stand  by  the  giant 
redwood  or  the  snow-capped  mountain  peak. 
We  behold  with  admiration  the  irrigating-dam 
holding  countless  barrels  of  water  in  leash,  and 
praise  the  engineering  feat  of  man  until  we  see 
the  great  expanse  of  water,  lake  or  ocean,  held 
in  leash  by  hill  and  plain  or  by  the  continents 
themselves.  We  marvel  at  the  genius  of  man 
as  the  great  steamships  come  plowing  across 
132 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

the  harbor  to  the  dock  until  we  look  at  the 
starry  fleets  of  heaven,  deploying  and  moving 
majestically,  evenly,  ever  forward.  We  praise 
man  for  what  he  has  been  able  to  do  with  his 
limited  powers ;  we  stand  dumb  before  God  who 
has  done  the  impossible  things,  who  is  the  Om- 
nipotent One. 

We  note,  again,  infinite  skill.  Man  strug- 
gles to  make  a  perpetual-motion  machine :  God 
endows  the  heart  with  strength  for  fifty  or  a 
hundred  years.  Man  is  stumbling  in  his  en- 
deavors to  navigate  the  air:  God  makes  every 
bird  a  dexterous  and  automatic  flying-machine. 
Man  builds  a  submarine  boat:  but  it  is  an  un- 
certain thing  in  contrast  with  the  water-beetle. 
The  pipe-organ  loses  its  tone  and  harmony: 
Niagara  thunders  through  the  ages.  The  flute 
makes  discord  as  well  as  sweet  tones :  the  hermit 
thrush  but  adds  melody  to  the  evening  air. 
Such  ingenuity,  such  cunning,  such  mechanism 
are  displayed  that  we  say  God  has  been  about 
here  at  work.  This  is  not  the  work  of  man: 
this  is  the  work  of  God. 

Again,  we  find  PURPOSE,  an  attribute  of  per- 
sonality, a  personal  God.  We  see  the  build- 
133 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

ing  of  a  cathedral:  the  excavating,  the  sinking 
of  the  foundation  to  the  bed-rock,  the  walls  of 
stone  and  marble,  the  arches  and  dome  and 
spires  gradually  taking  their  places;  and  we 
can  not  be  persuaded  that  there  is  not  some  un- 
derlying purpose  and  symmetrical  plan.  Each 
thing  is  done  for  the  other  parts  and  each  grows 
out  of  the  others,  and  all  are  builded  into  one 
for  some  sufficient  reason.  So  we  look  at  a 
tree :  the  roots  and  trunk  and  branches  and  twigs 
and  leaves,  and  refuse  to  believe  that  this  is 
an  accidental  aggregating  of  parts;  each  has 
its  'relation  to  the  others,  and  all  are  brought 
together  for  some  sufficient  reason.  We  find 
a  house  completed,  equipped  with  furniture  and 
food  and  cooking-utensils,  adorned  with  pictures 
and  curtains  and  bric-a-brac,  and  we  say,  Some- 
body purposes  to  live  here;  this  is  not  done  by 
chance  and  never  to  be  used.  We  look  upon 
the  great  world  with  its  treasures,  resources, 
problems,  opportunities,  and  we  say  it  is  a 
home  builded  of  God  for  His  children. 

To  say  that  there  is  no  purpose   is  utterly 
confusing;   to  try  to  conceive   of  this   natural 
world  without  plan  or  motive  or  object  is  mad- 
134 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

dening;  to  say  that  it  is  God's  world,  built  for 
us,  His  children,  where  we  may  serve  Him,  is 
ennobling  and  answers  not  all  but  many  of  our 
questions,  and  gives  us  a  program  for  life  that 
is  worthy  of  our  best  and  highest  efforts. 


EVERY  BIRD  CARES  FOR  ITS  LITTLE  ONES 


But  why  go  on?  We  can  not  designate  or 
examine  every  footprint,  for  the  earth  is  cov- 
ered with  them.  We  can  not  say,  Lo!  here  is 
God,  or  there;  for  behold!  He  is  everywhere, 
wherever  hands  are  lifted  in  prayer  or  wounded 
135 


THE  IMMANENT  GOD 

heart  cries  out  for  healing  or  penitent  soul  seeks 
for  forgiveness  and  uplift;  and  also  where 
every  blade  of  grass  is  growing,  where  every 
leaf  is  quivering  in  gentle  breeze,  where  every 
flower  spills  out  its  fragrance  upon  the  air, 
where  every  bird  sings  its  song  and  cares  for 
its  little  ones,  where  every  cloud  drifts  and  every 
drop  of  rain  falls,  God  is  there.  He  is  every- 
where. 

And  everything  is  His;  His  mark,  His 
genius  and  skill  and  power  and  purpose  are 
stamped  in  burning  letters  upon  the  midnight 
suns,  resound  in  thunderous  tones  where  the 
mad  cataract  leaps,  echo  and  re-echo  in  every 
song  of  bird.  This  is  God's  world.  He  is  in 
it;  everything  is  His.  And  He  is  caring  for 
His  own,  and  does  not  faint.  And  to-day  my 
heart  praises  Him,  and  with  Christ  the  Lover 
of  the  lilies  I  stand  beneath  the  spreading  tree 
or  by  the  singing  brook  and  worship  Him,  the 
mighty  God,  the  Creator  of  the  ends  of  the 
earth. 


136 


THE   MESSAGE   OF  THE    CANADIAN 
WILDERNESS 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  THE  CANADIAN 
WILDERNESS 

"As  I  passed  by,  and  beheld  your  devotions,  I  found  an 
altar  with  this  inscription,  TO  THE  UNKNOWN  GOD. 
Whom  therefore  ye  ignorantly  worship,  Him  declare  I  unto 
you.  God  that  made  the  world  and  all  things  therein,  seeing 
that  He  is  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  dwelleth  not  in  temples 
made  with  hands ;  neither  is  worshiped  with  men's  hands,  as 
though  He  needed  anything,  seeing  He  giveth  to  all  life,  and 
breath,  and  all  things;  and  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  na- 
tions of  men  for  to  dwell  on  all  the  face  of  the  earth,  and 
hath  determined  the  times  before  appointed,  and  the  bounds 
of  their  habitation;  that  they  should  seek  the  Lord,  if  haply 
they  might  feel  after  Him,  and  find  Him,  though  He  be  not 
far  from  every  one  of  us:  for  in  Him  we  live,  and  move,  and 
have  our  being;  as  certain  also  of  your  own  poets  have  said. 
For  we  are  also  His  offspring." — Acts  17:23-28. 


"The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness." — John  i  :  23. 

YOU  recall  that  John  the  Baptist,  seeking 
to  turn  attention  from  himself  as  he 
stands  with  his  audience  in  the  waste- 
places,  the  uninhabited  section  of  country,  de- 
scribes himself  simply  as  a  voice  calling  upon 
humanity  to  give  heed  to  God  and  heralding  the 
coming  of  Jesus  Christ,  Son  of  God  and  God's 
Seeker  after  those  who  are  lost  in  the  wilder- 
ness. As  we  look  at  John  and  as  we  hear  him 
calling  there  is  danger  of  our  forgetting  that 
there  is  a  greater  Voice  in  the  wilderness  than 
the  voice  of  John,  even  the  voice  of  God,  call- 
ing to  man  through  the  very  rocks  and  wooded 
hills  and  flowing  waters  in  the  midst  of  which 
he  stands,  telling  man  of  His  majesty  and  om- 
nipotence, and  seeking  to  interest  him  in  the 
fruitful  quest  after  the  perfect  Revelation  as 
it  is  found  in  Christ,  His  Son. 
139 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

During  these  weeks  while  you  have  wor- 
shiped here  in  this  temple  and  in  your  homes, 
I  have  worshiped  in  the  Canadian  wilderness, 
far  from  the  sight  of  any  cathedral  or  the 
sound  of  any  Angelus  or  the  presence  of  any 
host  assembled  to  worship  Him,  but  not  away 
from  God  or  the  sound  of  His  voice  or  the  ca- 
thedrals He  has  made  or  the  chimes  that  re- 
sound with  His  praises.  I  have  been  in  the 
wilderness  and  have  heard  the  voice  of  God 
there,  and  bring  you  the  wilderness-message  to- 
day. 

It  is  a  difficult  task  undertaken,  to  endeavor 
with  words  to  draw  a  picture  of  the  wilderness. 
Its  almost  unconquerableness  is  impressive. 
Man  does  conquer  it:  give  him  time  and  pa- 
tience enough;  but  it  is  a  hard  job.  From 
Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Ontario,  a  railroad  has  been 
projected  to  the  Hudson  Bay  territory.  It  was 
surveyed  or  planned  several  years  ago,  but  up 
to  date  only  sixty-two  miles  of  steel  have  been 
laid,  laid  under  tremendous  difficulties;  for  it 
seems  almost  a  succession  of  trestles  across 
streams  and  deep  valleys,  and  of  quarrying 
through  granite  hills.  But  such  a  railroad! 
140 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 


Trains  run  two  or  three  times  a  week,  depend- 
ing upon  "circumstances."  We  talk  of  sixty 
miles  an  hour ;  there  they  hope  to  make  the  trip 
of  sixty-two  miles  during  the  light  of  a  day,  if 


ROCKS  AND  WOODED  HILLS  AND  FLOWING 
WATERS 


everything  goes  well.  But  they  have  little  ex- 
pectation of  reaching  the  end  of  the  journey 
without  delays  or  accidents. 

On  the  edge  of  the  wilderness  where  man 
has  penetrated  there  are  attempts  at  roads.     In 
141 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

a  civilized  country  they  would  hardly  be  recog- 
nized as  cow-paths,  and  only  because  those  sa- 
gacious wilderness-horses  have  the  tracking  in- 
stinct of  a  hound  and  the  nimbleness  of  a  cat 
are  they  enabled  to  make  their  way  through  the 
forest  and  scramble  across  such  log-bridges  as 
would  make  a  city  man  faint  and  fall  into  the 
stream  below  if  he  endeavored  to  cross  on  foot. 
There  are  attempts  at  mining;  for  the  frontiers- 
men in  that  region  firmly  believe  that  it  abounds 
in  mineral  wealth.  Here  and  there  we  came 
across  an  excavation  or  a  seam  of  rock  marred 
and  scratched  by  the  tools  of  a  prospector,  but 
that  was  all.  One  day  we  came  upon  such  a 
scar,  and  by  it  there  lay  the  hammer  and  pick 
and  chisels,  rusted  and  abandoned.  One  could 
plainly  read  the  mute  story,  starved  out,  driven 
back  by  the  wilderness. 

Upon  the  outskirts  of  the  forest,  endeavors 
have  been  made  to  clear  the  land.  I  looked 
upon  territory  where  men  had  gone  with  axes 
and  cut  down  a  heavy  "stand"  of  pine  and  re- 
moved the  logs,  yet  the  forest  seemed  to  stand 
with  undiminished  thickness;  and  crowding  be- 
tween the  standing  trees,  I  wondered  how  the 
142 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

logs  could  have  been  dragged  among  their 
trunks.  I  looked  upon  territory  into  which  men 
had  gone  a  second  time  with  their  axes  and 
had  cut  down  and  removed  the  hemlock  and 
spruce,  and  still  the  forest  seemed  to  stand  as 
thickly  as  before.  There  were  three  forests  in 
one;  having  been  denuded  twice,  it  had  now 
become  a  deciduous  forest  of  birches  and  maples 
and  beeches,  but  seemingly  as  impenetrable  as 
before.  The  stumps  are  quickly  covered  with 
new  growth,  the  scars  quickly  heal,  and  one  can 
hardly  believe  that  two  "crops"  of  timber  have 
been  removed.  In  the  edges  .of  the  wilderness 
there  were  attempts  at  clearings,  but  they  were 
feeble  attempts.  One  gained  the  impression 
that  a  man  would  hardly  dare  leave  his  plowed 
patch  over  night,  for  fear  of  finding,  when 
morning  had  come,  that  a  forest  had  sprung  up 
while  he  slept.  Certainly  vegetation  very 
quickly  takes  possession  of  the  land  where  ax 
and  fire  and  plow  have  gone.  Shrubbery  and 
vine  and  tree  conspire  to  wrest  it  from  civiliza- 
tion and  transform  it  back  again  into  wilder- 
ness. 

Some  white  folks  are  trying  to  live  in  that 
143 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

country.  Along  the  rude  railroad  there  are  a 
few  scattered  hamlets,  not  even  named;  they 
are  known  as  "Camp  45,"  "Camp  58,"  "Camp 
62,"  indicating  that  they  are  so  many  miles 
in  the  wilderness,  so  many  miles  away  from 
civilization.  That  life  is  so  rude,  so  primitive, 
consisting  of  a  room  built  of  logs  for  a  house, 
brick  and  mortar  or  even  mud  and  sticks  and 
stones  for  fireplace  and  chimney,  scantiest  fare 
upon  the  table  which  is  made  of  rough  boards, 
rudest  clothing  for  wearing-apparel.  I  do  not 
speak  lightly  of  this  people;  it  is  the  advance- 
guard  of  civilization,  blazing  the  way  to  prog- 
ress and  comforts  and  luxuries;  I  speak  only 
pityingly  of  that  barren,  dreary,  desolate  life 
seeking  to  conquer  the  wilderness. 

There  were  lumber-jackies  here  and  there  in 
lumber-camps,  and  wood-scouts,  and  we  occa- 
sionally came  upon  the  camps  of  hunters  and 
trappers.  They  were  leading  a  hard  life. 
When  the  winter's  work  is  over  and  the  logs 
have  been  driven  down  the  river,  which  is 
swollen  by  the  melting  snows,  to  the  sawmill, 
and  the  jackies  are  released  from  their  labors 
and  from  the  monotonous  winter-life,  little  won- 
144 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

der  that  they  rush  for  the  saloons  and  the  gam- 
bling-joints and  the  society  of  evil  women,  that 
they  fight  and  swear,  that  they  drink  and  gam- 
ble, and  spend  in  a  few  days  often  the  entire 
earnings  of  winter.  I  do  not  justify  any  man 
in  his  sins;  but  I  can  see  that  the  wilderness, 
without  society  or  school  or  church  or  whole- 
some amusement,  will  make  those  men  almost 
mad,  so  that,  thrust  suddenly  into  the  human 
world  with  its  glamour,  they  lose  all  restraint 
and  rush  impetuously  into  these  great  evils. 
They  are  deserving  of  more  thought  and  help 
than  they  have  received  from  us  who  enjoy  the 
fruits  of  their  labors. 

And  there  are  the  Indians,  fitting  companions 
of  the  wilderness.  During  the  summer  they 
usually  return  to  the  reservation  and  grow  fat 
and  lazy  at  the  expense  of  the  Government. 
But  when  the  autumn  approaches,  the  instinct 
of  the  wild  man  blazes  up,  and  they  scatter 
through  the  trackless  forest,  hunting  and  trap- 
ping. Once  we  came  upon  a  group  of  aban- 
doned wigwams  in  the  heart  of  the  woods,  but 
usually  each  family  goes  by  itself,  selecting 
some  territory,  building  a  lean-to,  and  spending 
M  145 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

the  winter  there.  Let  me  give  you  the  history 
of  one  of  these  families  as  I  read  it,  mostly  in 
wilderness-language. 

We  were  camping  on  a  lake  through  which 
the  Chippewa  River  flowed.  One  day,  looking 
across  the  lake,  I  saw  on  the  side  of  a  cedar 
tree  a  cross  shining  brightly  from  the  reflected 
sunlight.  Jumping  into  a  canoe,  I  paddled 
across  to  investigate.  The  tree  stood  on  the 
edge  of  a  bluff  overlooking  the  lake.  Two 
paddles  were  tied  together  and  tied  to  the  tree, 
perhaps  accidentally;  but  I  thought  likely  it 
was  a  signal.  Evidently  some  human  being  had 
been  around;  so  I  landed,  to  examine  more 
closely.  Nearby  I  found  the  home;  but  such 
a  home,  a  typical  home  of  the  wilderness !  It 
was  a  most  primitive  lean-to;  no  windows  or 
doors,  no  walls  or  floor,  no  sides  or  front,  just 
some  poles  reaching  from  the  ground  to  a  cross- 
pole,  roughly  thatched  with  branches,  facing  the 
southeast,  measurably  protected  by  the  woods 
behind  and  with  the  ashes  of  fires  before.  Va- 
rious evidences  of  camp-life  were  scattered 
around.  There  were  pieces  of  moose-hide,  and 
willow-stretchers  for  beaver-skins.  These  ani- 
146 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

mals  can  not  be  killed,  according  to  the  laws 
of  Canada;  but  the  Indian  is  not  a  creature  of 
the  laws :  he  is  a  part  of  the  wilderness.  Hang- 
ing to  the  branch  of  a  tree  was  a  nickel  alarm- 
clock;  so  here  was  one  sign  of  civilization. 

From  a  fire-ranger  I  later  learned  that  the 
squaw  had  been  taken  sick,  and  in  this  wild 
place,  away  from  doctors  and  medicines  and 
nurses  and  comforts,  she  had  died,  leaving  the 
Indian  and  children.  The  clock  had  stopped, 
and  because  of  their  superstition  had  not  been 
removed.  The  man  had  placed  the  body  of 
his  wife  out  of  the  reach  of  the  wild  beasts, 
had  taken  the  children  on  a  long  journey 
through  the  deep  snows  and  over  the  hills  back 
to  the  reservation,  and  with  the  coming  of 
spring  had  returned  to  bury  his  wife.  I  found 
the  burial-place  on  the  edge  of  the  lake,  across 
from  where  the  camp  had  been.  After  the 
body  had  been  placed  in  a  shallow  grave,  the 
man  had  cut  pickets  with  his  tomahawk,  and  I 
marveled  at  their  accuracy:  it  seemed  like  the 
work  of  a  saw.  With  them  he  had  built  a 
fence  of  pickets  about  the  grave,  to  prevent  its 
being  dug  into  or  disturbed  by  the  wild  beasts. 
147 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

Then  he  had  cut  down  the  forest  trees  about 
the  grave  and  extending  to  the  edge  of  the  lake 
for  perhaps  a  space  ten  or  twelve  rods  square. 
The  trees  lay  upon  the  ground  as  they  had 
fallen. 

I  went  one  morning  early  and  stood  by  the 
rude  tomb  and  watched  the  sun  rise  over  the 
great  hills  that  were  across  the  lake.  The  grave 
was  on  the  west  shore  of  the  lake,  so  that  the 
view  was  uninterrupted.  And  it  was  magnifi- 
cent: the  broad  sweep  of  the  placid  waters;  the 
forests  beyond  hushed  to  funereal  stillness;  and 
then  the  hills,  climbing  one  above  another, 
higher  and  higher,  mighty  steps  leading  up  to 
the  city  of  God;  and  the  sun  appearing  above 
them  seemed  the  open  door  into  His  presence. 
It  was  the  work  of  a  wild  man,  but  it  was  noble 
work,  proof  enough  that  God's  hands  had  fash- 
ioned him  and  had  given  him  something  of  the 
noblest  feelings  and  longings.  Here  had  been 
pathetic  sorrow  and  great  love  leading  to  these 
tender  offices  for  her  he  loved,  the  best  he 
could  do.  And  here  too  was  faith  in  God  and 
the  hereafter.  He  had  buried  her  where  she 
could  look  away  to  the  rising  sun  and  the  bet- 
148 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

ter  day.  May  she  rest  in  peace  until  that  day 
when  the  trumpet  shall  sound  and  Christ  shall 
call  into  His  presence  red  man  and  white  man 
alike,  to  measure  them  according  to  their  op- 
portunities ! 

If  the  wild  man  supplants  the  civilized  man, 
the  wild  beast  supplants  the  beasts  of  the  farm. 
The  streams  are  filled  with  trout  full  of  primal 
vigor  and  strength  as  they  leap  from  the  swirl- 
ing eddy  or  the  foot  of  the  foaming  rapids  or 
rush  from  the  more  sober  depths  to  seize  the 
fly  that  flits  over  the  water;  and  when  they 
strike  it  they  dash  away  with  unbelievable 
strength.  Rarely  we  came  upon  the  shed  ant- 
lers of  a  caribou,  more  often  of  the  moose,  and 
sometimes  came  upon  his  track;  one  night  a 
black  bear  prowled  about  our  camp,  snuffing  and 
pawing  at  the  empty  tin-cans,  and  the  deer  were 
common.  We  frequently  saw  them  grazing  on 
the  grass  and  water-plants,  wading  out  into  the 
water,  or  saw  them  swimming  across  an  arm 
of  the  lake;  and  in  many  places  the  banks  of 
the  stream  were  so  thickly  dotted  with  their 
hoofprints  as  to  remind  me  of  the  pastures  at 
home,  where  the  cattle  tramped  the  bank  of  the 
149 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

creek  to  drink.  One  day  I  paddled  upon  one 
grazing,  stealing  upon  him  so  noiselessly  and 
without  motion,  when  he  chanced  to  look  up, 
as  to  come  within  a  few  rods  of  him.  At  last, 
when  he  saw  me  and  I  shouted,  he  was  so 
frightened  that  he  could  only  leap  up  and  down 
several  times  before  he  got  under  headway. 
But  when  he  did — what  an  outburst  of  speed! 
Here  and  there  were  the  beaver-dams,  thrown 
across  some  mountain-stream,  and  the  quaint 
houses,  and  the  creatures  with  seemingly  human 
powers  in  the  building  of  the  dam  and  house 
with  rooms,  and  in  the  storing  of  food,  and  the 
cutting  of  trees  which  were  felled  more  accu- 
rately as  to  direction  than  any  of  us  could  do 
with  an  ax. 

The  Indian  and  the  wild  animals  seem  at 
home:  they  adapt  themselves  to  this  life,  they 
are  a  part  of  it;  but  it  is  a  baffling  proposition 
even  for  the  most  experienced  woodsmen. 
(Since  my  visit,  in  the  country  to  the  northeast 
of  where  I  was,  Leonidas  Hubbard,  going  with 
a  party  to  see  the  migration  of  the  caribou, 
starved  to  death.)  They  are  playing  with  death 
much  of  the  time.  While  we  were  there,  the 
150 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

superintendent  of  a  considerable  number  of 
lumber-camps  sent  three  of  his  best  men — fore- 
men, who  by  skill  and  ability  had  won  their 
positions — to  explore  the  upper  reaches  of  the 
Ghouli  River  and  to  plan  for  the  winter's  cut 
of  pine,  and  locate  camps  and  dams  that  might 
be  necessary  for  the  drive.  I  met  the  party  in 
a  strange  manner.  We  had  gone  from  our 
camp,  several  miles  away,  to  a  lumber-camp  to 
spend  Sunday  with  the  two  or  three  men,  bosses, 
who  remained  there  during  the  summer.  Along 
in  the  afternoon  I  saw  three  men  come  walking 
down  the  track  of  the  lumber-railroad.  They 
looked  like  tramps,  and  I  wondered  and  asked 
what  those  fellows  would  be  doing  in  this 
country.  The  foreman  looked  and  recognized 
them  as  men  from  another  camp,  and  said, 
"Why,  that's  Inglee  and  his  men;  but  what 
are  they  here  for?"  and  hastened  toward  them. 
From  them  we  heard  the  story,  while  the  men 
in  the  camp  got  food  and  clothing  for  them. 
They  told  of  their  expedition  up  the  unexplored 
river:  The  three  men  were  in  a  canoe,  making 
their  way  up  some  rapids,  when  a  sudden  swirl 
caught  the  canoe,  whipped  it  against  a  rock, 
151 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

and  smashed  it  like  an  egg-shell.  The  men 
got  out  in  safety,  and  one  of  the  fellows — a 
reckless,  dare-devil  of  a  fellow — plunged  back, 
dove,  and  succeeded  in  getting  an  ax  and  a 
plug  of  tobacco.  All  of  their  provisions  were 
gone;  they  were  far  away  from  camp  or  man; 
it  was  a  critical  situation.  Their  best  chance 
was  to  strike  across  the  hills  and  through  the 
forest  to  this  camp,  situated  on  another  river. 
They  were  without  path  or  map  to  guide  them, 
having  only  a  general  idea  that  somewhere  in 
this  direction  the  camp  was  situated;  they  were 
playing  the  game,  and  they  made  it.  They 
came  staggering  in  that  Sunday  afternoon,  al- 
most famished,  bareheaded,  and  in  rags.  They 
had  won  in  their  gamble  with  life,  and  eating 
like  wild  beasts,  they  stopped  now  and  then  to 
laugh  and  twit  one  another  about  eating  "pine- 
scones"  and  other  unheard-of  dishes.  It  was 
a  part  of  their  life,  to  be  likened  to  a  holiday- 
experience.  To  traverse  those  forests  would  be 
utterly  impossible  for  a  tenderfoot.  Why, 
even  with  a  guide  to  point  the  way  and  a  stream 
to  follow,  I  would  shrink  sometimes  at  the  very 
thought  of  the  bewildering  country.  A  man 
152 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

could  stand  within  four  rods  and  less,  yes, 
stand  within  two  rods  of  the  rude  railroad  or 
a  wood  road  and  not  see  it  at  all;  and  that 
means  that  he  would  be  much  more  apt  to  wan- 
der into  the  forest  than  to  the  path  of  safety. 
Such  density  of  vegetation  is  inconceivable  to 
one  only  familiar  with  our  Illinois  forests. 

There  are  certain  singular  words  that  one  as- 
sociates with  these  solitudes.  One  is  immen- 
sity. This  building  in  which  we  worship  could 
be  dropped  out  of  sight  in  almost  any  ravine, 
our  entire  city  could  be  lost  in  even  the  smaller 
valleys  between  the  hills;  and  areas  the  size  of 
Chicago,  burned  over  by  some  forest-lire, 
seemed  only  a  fleck  upon  the  landscape.  One 
becomes  such  a  tiny  creature,  so  helpless,  so  in- 
significant here.  One  day  we  coasted  on  a  rail- 
road velocipede  down  the  mountain-side  for 
several  miles.  Here  were  the  rails,  and  here 
and  there  a  siding  where  logs  had  been  loaded, 
and  here  was  a  vehicle,  a  man's  work,  but  it 
seemed  no  more  than  the  track  of  a  worm  across 
the  sand.  Everywhere  were  hills,  stretching  one 
above  the  other:  some  bald  and  white,  some 
black  with  burnt  stumps  and  logs,  and  others 
153 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

covered  with  the  virgin  forest;  and  between 
them  the  valleys,  each  of  them  containing  its 
stream  with  swift  current  and  tumbling  waters 
as  they  leaped  over  the  obstructing  ledge. 

Another  day,  with  our  guide,  we  followed 
an  Indian  trail  for  several  miles,  from  the  lake 
where  we  camped  to  another  that  had  no  name. 
We  went  in  a  canoe  down  the  river,  shooting 
the  rapids,  and  portaging  where  the  waters 
leaped  over  the  ledge  or  where  the  great  trees 
fallen  in  one  or  two  places  had  formed  a  tan- 
gled network  across  the  river.  We  finally  aban- 
doned our  canoe  and  struck  boldly  into  the  for- 
est where  the  guide  insisted  there  was  an  Indian 
trail,  walking  in  the  gloom  and  the  shadow 
and  the  darkness  because  of  the  dense  treetops 
that  banded  themselves  together  to  keep  out 
the  sunlight.  Once  we  found  a  cache,  but  did 
not  examine  the  contents,  considering  sacred  the 
unwritten  laws  of  the  wilderness,  and  near  it  a 
fragment  of  the  skin  of  a  black  bear.  Again, 
we  found  a  horn  of  a  caribou,  sadly  mutilated 
by  mice  and  red  squirrels,  and  came  at  length 
to  the  edge  of  another  lake,  across  which  the 
dusky  Indians  made  their  way  in  birch-bark 
154 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

canoes.  And  standing  on  the  shore  and  look- 
ing across  the  blue  waters  beyond  the  bouldered 
islands  which  lifted  their  leafy  heads  out  of  the 
water,  we  saw  still  further  on,  the  farther  shore, 
and  on  beyond  the  forest  where  scarcely  foot 
had  trod  and  where  the  deer  and  moose  were 
grazing,  and  still  farther  on  to  other  lakes  and 
other  rivers  and  other  forests,  and  on  and  on 
where  feet  had  not  trodden,  to  the  land  where 
the  trees  were  stunted,  not  having  breathing- 
time  enough  during  the  brief  summer,  and 
where  trees  refused  to  grow,  and  the  snows  lay 
from  winter  to  winter  and  would  not  go  away 
that  the  earth  might  warm  and  the  flowers 
might  bloom.  Before  us  were  the  silent  places 
of  the  north,  without  a  twig  to  crackle  beneath 
a  foot  because  there  was  no  twig  to  break  and 
no  foot  to  break  it;  and  around  us  were  the 
silent  places  of  the  north,  oppressively  silent, 
for  there  was  no  dog  to  bark,  no  cock  to  crow, 
no  lowing  of  cattle,  no  shrieking  of  engines. 
Ten  thousand  men  might  have  been  scattered 
about  through  this  wilderness  and  all  have  dis- 
appeared, making  no  impression  upon  this 
northland.  Ten  thousand  men  might  have 
155 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

shouted  with  all  their  might,  and  received  only 
the  mockery  of  the  reply  of  the  hills.  The 
mind  refuses  to  calculate  space  and  distance; 
it  is  bewildered  and  subdued  by  the  very  im- 
mensity of  the  northland. 

The  word  power  is  stamped  upon  every- 
thing. We  are  accustomed  to  the  turning  of 
a  few  wheels  because  of  the  laboring  of  the 
engine.  In  a  day's  tramp  one  sees  more  power 
lost  and  dissipated  and  wasted  where  the  waters 
rush  down  the  declivities  and  tumble  over  rocky 
ledges  and,  foaming  like  a  fretting  horse,  rush 
through  narrow  grooves  worn  into  the  heart 
of  the  granite-rock  or  built  out  of  gigantic  boul- 
ders, than  there  is  in  all  the  engines  in  a  large 
city.  One  reads  of  the  molding  of  great  can- 
non and  the  strength  of  their  blows  to  destroy 
the  walls  of  fort  or  to  pierce  the  sides  of  battle- 
ship that  may  cross  the  path  of  their  scream- 
ing missies,  and  then  one  looks  at  the  mighty 
granite-hills  with  bared  shoulders,  and  wonders 
whether  the  shoulders  would  be  even  slightly 
dented  if  man  should  train  his  guns  upon  them 
for  a  thousand  years.  One  watches  the  swing- 
ing of  the  arms  of  the  derrick  as  it  lifts  a  weight 
156 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

of  a  score  of  tons  into  place  above  the  ground, 
and  then  one  thinks  of  the  mighty  arm  of  God 
which  has  lifted  the  weight  of  these  forest-trees 
above  the  ground  and  holds  them  in  place,  such 
weight  that  he  can  not  even  conceive.  And  by 
the  mighty  power  of  God  these  hills  have  been 
built  and  forests  built  and  lakes  built  and  woven 
into  the  garment  He  wears.  And  then,  by  His 
mighty  power  He  has  thrown  the  garment  of 
hill  and  forest  and  lake  like  a  great  mantle 
over  the  earth,  His  abiding-place. 

And  one  spells  majesty  there,  letters  made 
by  hills  and  streams;  majesty  rather  than  beauty. 
It  is  too  gigantic,  too  powerful,  too  overwhelm- 
ing to  be  called  beautiful;  it  is  majestic.  One 
looks  into  the  face  of  the  lake  with  its  waters 
so  delicately  tinted  with  blue  that  the  pathos  in 
his  heart  is  aroused  as  he  sees  in  them  another 
world.  The  great  boulder  rises  from  the  edge 
of  the  lake — a  substantial,  ponderous  thing — 
and  in  the  lake  appears  its  reflection;  the  trees 
of  great  bulk  and  strength  form  a  protecting 
girdle  about  the  lake,  and  another  forest  of 
equal  size  stands  inverted  in  the  waters.  We 
do  not  notice  the  broad-winged  eagle  with 
157 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

snowy  head  as  it  sails  above  us,  but  we  see  it 
sailing  in  the  water  beneath  us.  Here  is  an- 
other world.  We  can  not  hold  it  in  our  hands, 
we  can  not  feel  it;  but  in  the  pathetic  blue  of 
the  water  held  in  this  hollow  bowl  God  has 
made,  mingled  with  proper  proportions  of  sun- 
light God  pours  into  it  from  heaven's  beaker, 
we  can  see  it,  another  world  of  perfect  form. 
It  is  not  material,  but  it  is  real,  like  the  spirit- 
world  we  see  around  this  earthy  world  reflected 
from  the  hearts  held  up  to  God  into  which  He 
has  poured  His  light  and  love. 

But  I  saw  the  word  majesty  most  plainly 
written  from  the  top  of  Shepherd's  Mountain. 
It  may  not  have  been  a  mountain  technically — 
I  had  no  measuring-devices  to  ascertain — but  it 
seemed  like  one  to  my  puny  mind;  I  named  it 
because  it  towered  above  Shepherd's  Creek,  and 
one  day  I  climbed  to  its  summit.  Without  a 
compass  I  would  not  have  dared  to  venture  into 
the  woods  from  the  camp  by  the  creek.  Such 
climbing! — hills  and  ravines,  boulders  and  gul- 
leys,  thickly  standing  trees  and  fallen  trees,  and 
worst  of  all,  ushintangle,"  a  creeping  evergreen 
that  well  deserves  its  name.  There  was  plenty 
158 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

of  sweating  and  hard  breathing,  but  reward  at 
last.  Coming  to  the  top,  I  crept  out  to  the 
edge,  that  the  view  might  be  unimpeded. 
There  was  a  sheer  drop  of  several  hundred  feet 
below  me,  and  then  a  very  steep  incline,  so  that 
the  rock  I  pushed  over  the  edge  struck  far  be- 
low with  a  hollow  thud,  and  then  with  great 
leaps  and  bounds  and  reverberations  hastened 
to  the  level  below.  The  effort  of  the  ascent 
was  well  worth  while.  Far  below  me  was  the 
main  valley  with  the  stream  appearing  here  and 
there,  a  succession  of  pools  and  rapids.  The 
water  was  as  clear  as  crystal,  but  with  a  tint  of 
brown,  as  though  it  had  caught  the  lingering  re- 
flections of  the  faces  of  tawny  Indian  maidens 
who  had  looked  long  and  wistfully,  hoping  that 
it  might  carry  the  sound  of  the  dip  of  the  pad- 
dles of  loitering  lovers.  Across  the  valley  the 
hills  were  climbing,  higher  and  higher  —  for 
miles  and  miles  a  succession  of  hills  and  valleys. 
Here  and  there  were  burnt  areas,  denoting  the 
destruction  of  countless  thousands  of  feet  of  lum- 
ber; but  in  the  greater  prospect  they  appeared 
only  as  slight  blemishes  upon  the  landscape. 
But  the  forests!  Some  of  the  hills  were  still 
159 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

covered  with  pine:  mighty,  lordly  trees  tower- 
ing above  the  other  vegetation,  appearing  like 
leaders  and  inspirers  of  the  mighty  host;  and 
an  occasional  one  among  them  even  taller  and 
grander  was  the  sentinel.  And  then  there  were 
the  great  masses  of  spruce  and  hemlock  and 
balsam,  and  the  birches  and  maples  and  beeches, 
and  other  deciduous  trees.  These  distinctions 
were  plain  enough  near  at  hand;  but  as  one 
looked  farther  away,  differences  blended,  until 
he  looked  out  upon  only  a  sea  of  green  across 
whose  face  great  waves  and  troughs  of  waves 
seemed  moving  as  the  clouds  swept  across  the 
sky. 

Here  was  shadow,  but  out  yonder  the  sun 
was  shining,  making  the  scene  resplendent  with 
its  glory.  A  long  time  I  lay  and  feasted  my 
eyes  upon  the  scene,  the  majesty  of  God.  At 
length  the  time  to  descend  had  come.  Through 
a  huge  fissure  in  the  rock  I  made  an  almost 
perpendicular  descent,  holding  myself  by  the 
rough  granite  on  either  side,  coming  at  length 
to  broken  fragments,  some  of  which  went  tum- 
bling down  beneath  my  feet — some  peril,  per- 
haps, but  the  panorama  was  worth  all  that  it 
cost,  and  more.  160 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

And  here  was  apparent  unity.  There  were 
no  evidences  of  rival  ownership  here;  not  even 
a  seed  had  been  planted  or  valley  sown  with 
grass  that  God  had  not  done.  There  were  no 
evidences  of  discord  or  dispute.  Every  thing 
that  was  seemed  to  belong  to  the  whole,  as  the 
various  wheels  and  springs  seem  to  belong  to 
the  clock  and  to  each  other.  It  was  a  unit,  a 
whole,   symmetrical  and  harmonious. 

During  those  weeks  the  wilderness  had  a 
message  for  me :  a  message  about  God  and  His 
love,  a  message  that  was  everywhere  and  all  the 
time  being  delivered,  but  sometimes  more 
plainly  spoken  than  at  other  times  because  I 
was  more  in  the  mood  for  hearing. 

"To  him  who  in  the  love  of  Nature  holds 
communion  with  her  visible  forms,  She  speaks 
a  various  language — from  all  around,  earth 
and  her  waters,  and  the  depths  of  air, — comes 
a  still  voice." 

Moses  and  Isaiah  and  Jesus  heard  it  from 
mountain  and  desert  and  growing  tree;  and  I 
heard  it:  a  definite,  positive,  inspiring,  exhil- 
arating message.  One  day  on  the  bank  of  an 
unnamed  lake  we  found  the  camp  of  a  trapper. 
»  161 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

The  forest-fire  had  swept  across  this  spot  and 
had  burned  the  camp  and  either  destroyed  the 
trapper  or,  more  probably,  had  caused  him  to 
flee  for  his  life.  About  the  place  were  traps 
and  weapons  and  other  equipment,  the  partly 
burned  hide  of  a  moose  upon  a  stretcher  or 
frame,  and  near  by  at  the  edge  of  the  lake,  in 
the  water,  a  canoe.  We  appropriated  it  for 
the  day,  and  embarked  upon  a  voyage  of  dis- 
covery. When  noon  came  we  landed  upon  a 
beautiful  island  for  lunch  and  rest.  This  island, 
like  the  others  in  that  part  of  the  world,  seem- 
ingly consisted  of  one  huge  boulder,  nearly  as 
large  as  a  city-block,  that  had  been  dropped  by 
the  ice-floes  of  the  glacial  period,  I  suppose, 
here  in  the  middle  of  the  lake.  Vegetation  had 
gradually  obtained  a  foothold,  until  now  there 
were  large  trees  and  shrubbery  and  grass  grow- 
ing over  most  of  the  surface,  with  patches  of 
the  bare  rock  showing  here  and  there. 

After  lunch  the  guide  lay  down  to  smoke  his 
pipe  and  doze,  while  I  slipped  away  to  the  other 
side  of  the  island  to  be  as  far  away  as  possible 
from  the  only  man  I  am  sure  who  was  within 
many  miles  of  this  spot.  On  the  edge  of  the 
162 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

rock  above  the  water  I  lay  down  upon  a  carpet  of 
pine-leaves  which  had  fallen  through  the  years 
from  the  trees  above  me ;  lay  down  not  to  sleep, 
but  to  dream  and  drift,  and  drift  and  dream. 
And  as  I  dreamed,  I  floated  out  upon  the  wa- 
ters of  the  lake  which  lay  before  me  for  several 
miles  and  which  sparkled  like  many  jewels  as 
the  breeze  sported  with  its  dimpled  face,  and 
then  I  floated  on  above  the  forest  that  girdled 
me  round  with  its  foliage.  I  was  in  the  center  of 
a  great  bowl,  and  yonder  on  every  side  were  the 
forests  clothing  the  hills  that  stretched  away 
toward  the  horizon  and  toward  heaven.  I 
floated  back  across  the  ages  to  the  time  when 
these  hills  had  not  been  made,  but  when,  by  the 
Written  Word,  the  Spirit  of  God  brooded  over 
the  face  of  the  earth,  and  I  saw  it  all:  the 
mighty  Builder,  with  ice-floes  for  derricks, 
moving  the  great  rocks  across  the  face  of  the 
earth,  dropping  them  here  and  there  where  He 
needed  them  and  where  He  desired  them.  I 
saw  the  gigantic,  fiery  furnaces  into  which  the 
crude  materials  were  thrust,  and  out  of  which, 
heated  and  tempered  in  the  furnaces  of  God, 
there  had  come  this  igneous  rock,  this  granite 
163 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

out  of  which  these  hills  had  been  builded;  I 
saw  Him  plowing  the  face  of  the  earth  with 
granite-hills  and  leaving  the  furrows  into  whose 
hollows  these  beautiful  lakes  had  gathered  their 
limpid  waters;  again  I  drifted  back  across  the 
centuries  to  the  present,  but  the  Spirit  had  not 
departed,  God  was  still  brooding  over  the  hills 
and  forests  as  He  brooded  over  my  mind  and 
led  me  to  worship  Him  and  sing  His  praise 
with  lips  that  were  dumb  in  His  presence. 

It  did  not  matter  that  no  church  or  human 
company  was  here :  God  was  here,  and  these 
waters  and  hills  and  trees  were  clapping  their 
hands  in  praise  of  Him,  their  Maker. 

"There   are   flowerlets   down  in  the  valley  low 

And  over  the  mountain-side, 
That  were  never  praised  by  a  human  voice 

Nor  by  human  eye  descried ; 
But  sweet  as  the  breath  of  the  royal  rose 

Is  the  perfume  they  exhale; 
And  where  they  bloom  and  why  they  bloom 

The    good    Lord   knoweth   well." 

And  in  that  hour  I  scarcely  knew  where  I  tar- 
ried or  whether,  as  Paul  said,  "I  was  in  the 
body  or  out  of  the  body;"  but  this  I  knew,  that 
God  was  around  me  and  underneath  me,  and 
164 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

there,  away  from  all  mankind,  I  was  in  His 
very  presence. 

There  was  only  one  voice  I  heard:  the  voice 
of  God.  Nearly  everywhere  there  are  two 
voices,  or  at  least  the  voice  of  man;  and  so 
often  we  listen  to  these  grating,  boastful,  dis- 
cordant sounds,  and  are  deaf  to  the  voice  of 
God.  We  hear  him  boasting  of  his  works,  and 
forget  that  God  is  the  Doer  of  things.  We 
see  man  lifting  the  sheaf  of  wheat,  and  forget 
that  God  has  lifted  every  sheaf  of  wheat  into 
being;  we  forget  the  mountains  of  God  when 
we  are  looking  at  the  pyramids,  and  we  admire 
the  temples  erected  by  man's  labor  and  shut 
our  eyes  to  these  mighty  temples  whose  Maker 
and  Builder  is  God. 

Pardon  me  if  I  even  compare  man  with  God 
in  speaking  of  these  things.  If  comparison  is 
called  for,  then  man  shall  be  compared  rather 
to  ox  and  bird  and  tree  and  flower,  God's  crea- 
tures; and  not  to  Him  who  is  the  Maker  of 
us  all.  But  here  was  no  confusion  of  tongues. 
Look  where  I  would,  listen  as  intently  as  I 
might  downward  toward  humanity,  there  was 
no  human  testimony  to  break  the  stillness,  no 
165 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

human  mark  or  deed  to  obtrude  its  puny  pres- 
ence upon  the  handiwork  of  God.  Here  was 
proof,  age-long,  of  God's  work  and  interest 
and  care ;  evidences  enough  of  furnaces  in  which 
quartz-rocks  were  melted,  ice-floes  upon  which 
they  were  transported;  evidences  of  sculpturing 
of  valley  and  canon,  of  hill  and  mountain ;  evi- 
dences of  selecting  of  proper  material  for  the 
hills,  strong  enough  to  support  the  burdens  they 
carried,  pliable  and  fertile  enough  to  melt  be- 
neath rain  and  sun  and  give  root  to  the  abun- 
dant vegetation.  God  was  not  far  away,  and 
here  were  paths  that  were  leading  to  Him. 

Everything  was  conspiring  to  teach  the  wTay 
to  God.  On  the  edge  of  the  island,  a  foot  or 
two  above  the  water,  I  found  the  nest  of  a 
loon.  Out  in  the  lake  the  parent-bird,  fright- 
ened away  by  my  presence,  was  swimming  and 
diving,  now  showing  its  black  coat  marked  with 
squares  of  white,  and  now  disappearing.  There 
in  the  nest  lay  two  baby-birds,  the  brown  shells 
near  by;  the  little  birds,  covered  with  black 
down,  were  just  out  of  the  shell  and  seemed 
so  tiny  and  helpless.  But  when  I  drew  near 
they  tumbled  down  the  bank  into  the  water  and 
166 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

glided  away,  paddled  away  upon  its  bosom  as 
gracefully  as  a  swan.  They  were  able  to  do 
it  because  they  were  fashioned  of  God  to  rest 
upon  its  bosom,   to  live  in  its  waters.     As  I 


A  TINY  BIRD  ON  GREAT  WATERS 

watched  the  splendid  adaptation  of  tiny  bird 
to  great  waters,  I  said,  "How  perfectly  God 
has  adapted  the  bird  to  its  home!"  And  then 
I  said,  and  say  to  you,  that  God  has  fashioned 
man,  however  weak  and  helpless  he  may  seem, 
to  find  safety  and  refuge  and  shelter  in  Him. 
167 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

Instinctively  the  baby-bird  turned  to  the  bosom 
of  the  lake  for  safety,  and  instinctively  I  turn 
to  God,  overcoming  the  hindrances,  that  I  may 
rest  upon  His  bosom. 

The  wilderness  taught  me  that  somehow  we 
may  find  our  way  to  the  City  of  God.  I  had 
been  going  down  the  Ghouli  River,  stopping 
now  and  again  to  cast  the  flies  across  some 
foamy  pool  or  beyond  some  sheltering  rock  to 
lure  the  speckled  beauties  from  their  hiding- 
place;  then  pushing  on  through  the  bushes  and 
trees,  clambering  over  tangled  logs  or  log-jams. 
Evening  was  coming  on ;  I  was  deep  in  the  val- 
ley and  hardly  knew  how  far  I  had  gone,  and 
in  the  obscurity  and  bewilderment  of  the  forest 
doubted  whether  this  stream,  so  quickly  disap- 
pearing, swallowed  up,  would  ever  find  its  way 
out  and  guide  me  through.  In  order  to  get 
my  bearings  I  climbed  a  steep  hill;  coming  to 
the  top,  I  looked  into  the  valley  out  of  which 
I  had  clambered.  Here  and  there  was  a 
glimpse  of  the  stream,  but  soon  disappearing; 
and  I  said  it  is  lost,  it  has  no  destination,  it  is 
swallowed  up.  And  then  I  looked  down  the 
valley,  and  here  and  there  could  catch  the  shin- 
168 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

ing  of  the  stream  as  the  sunlight  made  its  way 
through  the  rifts  in  the  hills  and  fell  upon  it; 
and  looked  on  beyond  until  far  in  the  distance 
I  saw  the  blue  waters  of  Lake  Superior  and  the 
river  flowing  into  it.  And  I  said,  "It  is  not 
lost:  it  has  found  its  way  to  its  resting-place; 
for  God  made  it  not  to  be  lost,  but  to  arrive.,, 
And  then  I  said,  "I  too  will  arrive."  Some- 
times the  valley  seems  deep,  the  way  seems  be- 
wildering, and  life  seems  to  be  confusion  and 
uncertainty.  But  standing  upon  the  hilltop  and 
looking  down  the  valley  into  the  sea,  I  thanked 
God  for  the  rifts  in  the  hills,  for  the  light  of 
His  presence  that  shines  into  our  hearts  to  illu- 
mine the  way,  and  for  the  city  yonder  in  the 
distance,  the  City  of  God,  toward  which  and 
into  which  He  seeks  to  lead  every  child  of  His, 
not  willing  that  one  shall  be  bewildered  or  lost. 
Oh!  I  know  that  some  would  have  stood  by 
my  side  and  cursed  the  day  that  brought  them 
to  these  hardships,  to  the  hills  and  logs  and 
rocks  and  scanty  fare. 

"A   cowslip   by   the   river's   brim 

A  yellow  cowslip   was  to  him, 

And  it  was  nothing  more." 

169 


THE  CANADIAN  WILDERNESS 

But  this  too  I  am  sure  of,  that  God  desires 
to  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind  and  unstop  the 
ears  of  the  deaf,  and  would  be  with  us  in  the 
midst  of  His  groves  and  hills  and  streams  and 
lakes,  that  there,  as  everywhere,  He  might 
teach  us  that  He  is  our  Maker  and  our  God, 
and  that  we  might  come  to  praise  Him  and  go 
with  Him,  even  to  the  City. 


170 


VI 
GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

"Surely  there  is  a  vein  for  the  silver,  and  a  place  for 
gold  where  they  fine  it.  Iron  is  taken  out  of  the  earth,  and 
brass  is  molten  out  of  the  stone.  God  setteth  an  end  to  dark- 
ness, and  searcheth  out  all  perfection.  There  is  a  path  which 
no  fowl  knoweth,  and  which  the  vulture's  eye  hath  not  seen : 
the  lion's  whelps  have  not  trodden  it,  nor  the  fierce  lion 
passed  by  it.  He  putteth  forth  His  hand  upon  the  rock;  He 
overturneth  the  mountains  by  the  roots.  He  cutteth  out  rivers 
among  the  rocks;  and  His  eye  seeth  every  precious  thing.  He 
bindeth  the  floods  from  overflowing;  and  the  thing  bringeth 
He  forth  to  light.  But  where  shall  wisdom  be  found  ?  And 
where  is  the  place  of  understanding?  Seeing  it  is  hid  from 
the  eyes  of  all  living,  and  kept  close  from  the  fowls  of  the 
air.  Destruction  and  death  saith,  We  have  heard  the  fame 
thereof  with  our  ears.  God  understandeth  the  way  thereof, 
and  He  knoweth  the  place  thereof.  For  He  looketh  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth,  and  seeth  under  the  whole  heaven;  to 
make  the  weight  for  the  winds;  and  He  weigheth  the  waters 
by  measure.  When  He  made  a  decree  for  the  rain,  and  a 
way  for  the  lightning  of  the  thunder;  then  did  He  see  it, 
and  declare  it;  He  prepared  it,  yea,  and  searched  it  out. 
And  unto  man,  He  said,  Behold  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  that  is 
wisdom;  and  to  depart  from  evil  is  understanding." — Job  28. 


VI 

"God  said." — Genesis   1:3. 

GOD  has  grown  amazingly  through  the 
"  centuries.  From  time  to  time  some 
man  of  great  intellect  and  great  heart 
has  discovered  God  in  some  new  way,  and  then 
blind  eyes  have  been  opened  and  other  men 
have  recognized  that  God  was  greater  and 
more  comprehensive  and  with  more  faculties 
and  powers  than  had  been  dreamed.  Abraham 
discovered  that  God  was  not  a  bloodthirsty 
monster,  feeding  upon  the  blood  of  children; 
Moses  discovered  that  God  was  law-abiding 
and  orderly  in  the  world  and  in  dealing  with 
men ;  Job  discovered  the  presence  of  God  in  ad- 
versity as  well  as  prosperity;  Jesus  did  not  dis- 
cover, He  knew  from  the  beginning,  but  He 
disclosed  to  men  the  love  and  Fatherhood  of 
God.  And  so  not  suddenly  and  completely,  but 
gradually,  our  knowledge  of  God  has  been  ob- 
tained and  will  be  obtained  through  the  cen- 
173 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

turies  to  come.  But  from  the  beginning  of 
humanity  the  one  God  that  every  man  has  rec- 
ognized (or  shall  I  say,  the  one  quality  in  Him) 
is  the  God  of  Power,  the  God  of  Force;  and 
the  God  which  men  in  our  time  fear  and  sub- 
scribe to  is  Jehovah;  however  uncertain  about 
qualities  of  tenderness  and  mercy  and  love, 
however  doubtful  about  personality  and  will, 
every  man  of  sanity  recognizes  Jehovah.  It 
is  this  God,  the  Eternal  Force,  of  whom  I  speak 
to-day. 

God  is  present  everywhere  and  all  the  time. 
Running  back  through  the  ages,  following  the 
paths  which  students  have  marked  out  in  their 
investigations  in  different  fields,  we  everywhere 
come  across  the  mighty  Jehovah  in  His  work- 
shop; we  find  Him  busy  everywhere,  He  stands 
at  the  beginning  of  things.  The  fields  are  pro- 
ducing their  harvests  of  corn  and  wine  and  oil, 
and  there  would  be  no  harvests  if  there  were 
no  fields  where  the  sun  graciously  shines  and 
the  showers  moisten  the  earth.  But  the  fields 
refuse  to  accept  responsibility.  There  would 
be  no  fields  if  continents  had  not  been  thrown 
up  out  of  the  water,  and  there  would  have  been 
174 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

no  continent  if  there  had  been  no  earth,  and 
there  had  been  no  earth  if  there  had  been  no 
solar  system,  and  there  had  been  no  sun  and 
brood  of  planets  if  there  had  been  no  star-dust 


WORKSHOP  OF  THE  MIGHTY  JEHOVAH 

or  space  filled  with  surging  atoms,  and  there 
had  been  no  surging  atoms  if  there  had  been 
no  energy,  and  there  had  been  no  energy  if 
there  had  been  no  God.  We  have  reached  the 
end  and  the  beginning.  We  are  standing  by 
the  side  of  God  the  Eternal  Force  and  look- 
175 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

ing  toward  the  future,  and  we  follow  the  mar- 
vels of  creation:  star-dust  and  sun  and  planet 
and  land  and  sea  and  field  with  waving  grain 
and  stalwart  corn,  because  God  was  there  and 
God  said  that  these  things  should  be,  and  there 
came  to  be  what  had  not  been. 

I  walk  out  again  into  the  presence  of  the 
present,  the  presence  of  things  that  are  NOW 
being  done.  Here  are  trees  on  whose  branches 
Some  One,  a  Mighty  Force,  is  building  fruit; 
here  are  gardens  in  which  are  being  built  vege- 
tables of  many  kinds  by  Some  One  not  to  be 
compared  with  or  measured  by  any  power  of 
man,  the  Omnipotent  One;  here  are  rivers  in 
whose  depths  fishes  are  being  built  by  a  Mighty 
Force ;  here  are  mountains  on  whose  sides  great 
forests  are  being  built,  and  here  are  seas  on 
whose  bosoms  waves  so  mighty  as  to  play  with 
man's  greatest  ships  as  though  they  were  child's 
blocks  are  being  fashioned.  Everywhere  is,  the 
evidence.  This  is  not  man's  power  or  within 
the  range  of  man's  power:  this  is  superhuman; 
this  is  Omnipotence;  this  is  God  saying  things. 

God  is  Force  in  action.  He  is  busy  every- 
where and  all  of  the  time.  Men  have  thought 
176 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

they  were  busy,  toiling  in  the  fields  or  the  mines 
or  the  forests  or  the  warehouses  where  they 
have  stored  God's  provisions,  or  the  marts  of 
trade  where  they  huckster  in  God's  produce; 
they  have  grown  wan  and  pale  and  nervous  and 
morbid  because  of  tasks  undertaken;  they  have 
come  out  of  the  mine  grimy  and  blinded,  and 
have  cried  for  less  work;  they  have  gone  from 
the  desk  or  the  counter  or  the  office  or  the 
schoolroom  and  have  protested  against  being 
overburdened.  The  insistent  and  righteous  de- 
mand is  for  shorter  hours,  more  play,  more  va- 
cations. Why  righteous?  Because  they  are 
men,  frail  and  weak  and  fragile.  But  God' the 
Eternal  Force  is  at  work  all  the  time.  He  never 
leaves  the  field,  always  at  work,  day  and  night, 
summer  and  winter,  growing  things  or  making 
ready  for  another  harvest;  never  leaves  the 
forest,  always  busy  caring  for  the  trees  He  has 
builded  and  is  building;  never  leaves  the  mine, 
always  busy  holding  the  mountains  in  the  hol- 
low of  His  hands  and  fashioning  their  contents 
into  gold  and  silver  or  coal  and  iron. 

God  is  saying  how  things  shall  be,  and  they 
are  as  He  says.     Men  speculate  about  the  mak- 
12  177 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

ing  of  continents:  the  cooling  of  the  earth,  the 
submergence  of  a  great  area  to  form  an  ocean- 
bed,  the  upheaval  of  a  mountain-range  to  form 
the  skeleton  of  a  continent,  and  in  fascinating 
language  they  tell  incidentally  how  it  was 
done,  and  sometimes  forget  to  tell  primarily 
that  it  was  done  because  God  the  Eternal  Force 
said.  Men  speculate  about  the  ten  tribes  of 
Israel:  where  they  went,  how  they  could  have 
disappeared  so  completely,  and  whether  they 
have  left  descendants  in  some  of  the  more  re- 
cent peoples  of  the  earth,  and  why  they  wan- 
dered away  from  the  homeland;  and  may  for- 
get to  tell  us  that  it  all  happened  because  God 
said.  Men  write  of  the  Battle  of  Waterloo, 
and  compare  the  merits  of  different  leaders  and 
different  armies,  and  only  Hugo  remembers  to 
say  that  the  battle  was  lost  and  won  by  the 
decree  of  the  Almighty. 

Men  and  women  are  spending  late  hours  in 
the  dance-hall  or  in  carousings  and  suffer  the 
headache  because  God  has  made  a  system  of 
laws  to  govern  our  bodies  and  has  written  a 
system  of  penalties  for  the  infraction  of  those 
laws.  An  epidemic  sweeps  through  a  commu- 
178 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

nity,  the  dread  disease  entering  home  and  tak- 
ing away  members  of  the  families  in  death:  for 
the  community  has  been  careless  about  cleanli- 
ness; and  heaps  of  unremoved  garbage,  the  un- 
kempt alleys,  the  polluted  waters  have  been  the 
forerunners  of  disease :  for  God  has  made  a 
system  of  laws  of  health,  and  penalties  for  their 
violation.  And  only  by  rigorous  infliction  of 
these  stern  measures  are  men  being  urged  to 
learn  these  hidden  truths  and  to  do  the  things 
they  ought  to  do,  and  so  are  being  urged  along 
the  path  of  progress. 

To  the  one  who  perseveres,  who  is  patient, 
industrious,  temperate,  diligent,  there  comes  re- 
ward. A  man  is  diligent  at  his  books,  toiling 
long  and  late,  and  denying  himself  the  pleas- 
ures that  would  interfere  with  his  tasks,  and  he 
gains  knowledge  and  enriches  the  world  with 
his  learning;  a  man  is  frugal  and  industrious 
and  persevering,  and  with  the  passing  of  the 
years  the  farm  grows  in  fertility,  the  fences  and 
buildings  improve,  his  wealth  is  accumulating; 
a  man  applies  himself  to  the  task  of  cultivating 
his  heart,  endeavoring  to  uproot  every  thistle 
and  thorn  and  to  plant  in  their  stead  those 
179 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

things  which  shall  produce  "the  peaceable  fruits 
of  righteousness,"  and  with  the  passing  of  the 
years  the  man  grows  in  grace,  his  moral  fiber 
improves,  his  character  strengthens  in  ways  of 
genuine  manhood.  And  all  of  these  things  are 
true,  because  God  has  said  that  they  shall  be. 

Man  speaks,  and  we  are  left  in  doubt  and  un- 
certainty; for  we  must  wait  to  see  whether  he 
speaks  the  truth.  He  may  propose  to  deceive; 
he  may  be  interested  in  a  business  transaction 
and  foolishly  imagine  that  he  can  enrich  his 
life  by  dishonesty,  by  misrepresentation.  God 
speaks,  and  we  may  well  know  that  there  is  no 
uncertainty  in  the  way  of  fulfillment:  for  is  it 
not  written  that  "not  one  jot  or  one  tittle  of 
the  law  shall  pass  away  till  all  be  fulfilled?" 
And  again,  is  it  not  written  that,  "though  the 
mills  of  God  grind  slowly,  yet  they  grind  ex- 
ceeding small."  Man  may  be  mistaken.  The 
jurymen  freed  the  prisoner  accused  of  murder 
because  they  believed  him  and  he  swore  that 
he  was  in  another  place  at  the  time  of  the  mur- 
der, and  had  lying  witnesses  to  corroborate  his 
alibi. 

But  God  is  not  mistaken,  and  He  speaks  the 
180 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

word  to  the  conscience  of  that  man,  and  the 
hounds  are  unleashed  and  set  upon  the  trail  of 
that  man;  and  though  he  may  fly  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth,  he  can  not  escape  the  haunting  of 
that  murdered  face.  God  stamps  upon  his  brain 
the  words  "murderer,  assassin,"  and  their  echoes 
resound  through  the  corridors  of  his  mind 
by  night  while  he  sleeps  and  by  day  while  he 
works.  Wherever  he  goes,  God  has  been  there 
and  is  there  before  him,  saying,  "Thou  shalt 
not  kill,"  and  saying,  again,  "The  soul  that  sin- 
neth,  it  shall  surely  die."  Man  speaks  intend- 
ing to  speak  the  truth,  but  may  be  in  ignorance, 
or  is  powerless  to  execute  the  decree.  He  says, 
"I  will  do  thus  and  so  next  year;"  and  the  year 
comes,  with  its  blooming  of  flowers  and  singing 
of  birds,  and  there  is  a  new  mound  in  the  cem- 
etery, and  the  plans  are  unfulfilled.  God 
speaks,  and  day  and  night,  time  and  eternity, 
present  and  future  leap  to  do  His  bidding. 
There  is  no  uncertainty  in  the  voice  of  God. 

God's  word  is  manifesting  itself  everywhere 

in  motions.      He   speaks,    and   the   tides   heap 

themselves  in  great  bulk  and  hurl  their  bulk  in 

sportive    glee    against    the    mighty    coast-rocks. 

181 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

He  speaks,  and  the  winds  are  moving  now  so 
gently  as  to  scarcely  make  a  ripple  upon  the 
pond  or  a  quiver  to  the  aspen-leaf,  and  again 
in  sturdy  gusts  that  rock  the  forest-tree  or  sweep 
across  the  pond  and  drive  the  waves  like  fright- 
ened sheep  before  the  dog.  He  speaks,  and 
the  clouds  are  in  motion,  now  so  light  and  mov- 
ing so  gently  that  one  can  scarcely  see  that  they 
change  their  position  at  all,  and  now  scudding 
before  the  wind  like  sailless  ship  before  the 
storm  at  sea.  He  speaks,  and  the  water  is  rip- 
pling among  the  pebbles  or  lazily  loitering  be- 
tween grassy  banks  on  its  way  to  the  sea,  or 
leaping  with  merry  laugh  adown  the  ledge,  or 
climbing  into  the  sky,  or  beating  the  shrinking 
earth  with  falling  raindrops.  Everywhere  is 
quiver,  is  stir,  is  motion,  for  everywhere  the 
world  is  busy  doing  the  things  God  says  shall  be. 
God  says  that  there  shall  be  impressions  in 
the  mind  through  the  senses.  A  man  walks 
through  the  field  and  hears  the  baying  of  a 
hound  on  the  trail  of  a  rabbit,  and  the  lowing 
of  cattle  wending  their  way  to  pasture-gate,  the 
chirping  of  insects  in  the  grass  at  his  feet,  the 
whir  of  wings  as  a  prairie-hen  springs  from  her 
182 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

nest,  the  call  of  a  quail  from  the  top  of  a  post, 
the  echoing  notes  of  the  distant  whip-poor-will, 
the  scream  of  the  hawk  high  in  air.  He  has 
pictures  enough  in  his  mind  for  an  art-gallery; 
and  such  an  art-gallery  it  is,  of  the  forest  yon- 
der, rich  with  the  spring-growth  of  foliage ;  the 
lone  tree  with  the  wild  grape  clambering  over 
it;  the  sturdy  thorn-bush,  the  gravel-bank,  and 
the  windflowers  decorating  its  crest;  the  level 
reach  of  grass  with  buttercups  and  dandelions; 
the  garter-snake  with  its  black  and  yellow 
stripes  that  crosses  his  path;  the  gopher  that 
sits  erect  and  whistles,  and  then  in  wild  alarm 
pitches  into  its  hole ;  the  hairy  woodpecker  that 
hammers  a  noisy  welcome  and  then  scurries 
away  in  wild  flight;  the  crow  jumping  for  a 
grasshopper  or  sedately  walking  and  peering 
for  some  bit  of  food!  The  fragrance  of  the 
sweet  brier  is  wafted  to  him  from  the  distance; 
the  wild  grape  makes  him  wild  with  joy  as  he 
catches  its  sweetness;  and  the  roses  and  the 
clover  and  the  mint  add  their  bewitching  odors. 
And  he  has  these  sensations  of  sound  and  sight 
and  odor,  and  carries  them  home  with  him  be- 
cause God  is  about,  making  the  brain  receive 
183 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

and  appreciate,  and  making  the  things  to  be 
seen  and  heard  and  smelled  to  the  joy  of  man. 

In  the  beginning  God  said  that  there  should 
be,  and  there  were  new  creatures  on  the  earth, 
new  trees  and  new  fishes  and  new  birds  and  ani- 
mals. And  God  is  still  saying,  creating  things; 
and  as  a  result  of  God's  presence  and  power 
new  species  of  insects  and  fishes  and  birds  are 
coming  into  existence.  God  may  take  a  long 
time  for  their  making.  A  new  form  may  drift 
very  slowly  from  the  type,  and  may  require 
many  generations  to  get  far  enough  away  and 
become  distinct  enough  to  rank  as  a  new  species. 
It  does  not  matter  whether  God  is  pleased  to 
take  few  or  many  days;  the  noteworthy  thing 
is  that  God  is  still  around,  doing  things,  things 
that  have  never  been  done  before. 

And  God  is  looking  after  the  things  He  has 
done  and  made  through  the  past  ages,  seeing 
that  there  is  food  to  eat  and  water  to  drink  and 
air  to  breathe.  God  is  sustaining  the  body  of 
man  so  that  for  years  it  goes  along  doing  its 
work,  bearing  its  burdens,  enduring  its  trials. 
Sometimes  there  is  a  man  who  works  at  his 
task  so  hard  and  long  it  reminds  us  of  the  bat- 
184 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

tleship  of  our  navy  just  returned  from  its  long 
trip  around  the  hemisphere,  coming  into  harbor 
with  coal-bunkers  empty,  with  machinery  ex- 
hausted and  wrenched.  But  as  the  bunkers  will 
be  filled  and  the  machinery  readjusted  and  put 
into  fit  condition,  so  the  man  recuperates  from 
his  labors,  renews  his  strength,  takes  on  new 
life,  and  we  speak  admiringly  of  the  vitality  of 
the  man.  Do  we  remember  that  man's  vitality 
is  but  another  word  for  expressing  what  God 
has  done  for  man,  what  energy  and  endurance 
and  resistance  He  has  packed  into  the  machinery 
of  that  body? 

Everything  that  is  made  God  has  made. 
Perhaps  no  one  thing  should  make  us  admire 
Him  and  fill  us  more  with  wonder  than  another 
thing;  but  as  we  look  over  the  ages  that  have 
passed  into  history,  written  or  unwritten,  there 
are  certain  great  creations  that  stand  forth  as 
of  surpassing  importance. 

Now,  we  know  that  the  tree  with  its  fruitage 
of  acorns  or  young  birds  was  not  built  by  a 
few  definite  certain  acts,  such  as  the  making 
of  root,  of  trunk,  of  branch,  of  leaf  and  fruit 
and  fastening  them  together.  We  understand 
185 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

that  there  has  been  a  gradual  growth  from  the 
tiniest  beginning  until  now.  Yet  as  we  look 
at  the  tree  these  words  stand  out  in  prominence 
as  the  chief  parts  of  the  tree.  So  we  under- 
stand that  God  has  not  made  our  world  by  a 
few  definite  acts,  each  separate  and  independent 
of  the  other,  but  that  there  has  been  a  gradual 
building,  a  gradual  unfolding,  like  the  unfold- 
ing of  a  flower  or  tree.  But  it  is  also  true  that 
certain  words  in  the  account  of  the  creation  of 
the  world  stand  out  with  startling  distinctness. 
And  we  seem  to  realize  more  clearly  how  the 
doing  of  these  things  would  call  for  the  un- 
rivaled power  of  God. 

God  spake,  and  matter  came  into  existence. 
I  pass  by  any  theories  concerning  the  relations 
or  conditions  of  matter,  any  philosophical  as- 
sertions or  theories.  I  am  satisfied  to  think  of 
it  now  as  the  mind  normally  and  simply  does, 
the  material  out  of  which  things  are  made, 
"world-stuff,"  "ground-substance,"  "star-dust." 
It  is  the  raw  substance,  the  "earth  without  form 
and  void"  of  Genesis;  not  after  it  has  been  made 
into  burning  sun  and  heartless  moon  and  whirl- 
ing planet,  into  sea  and  land,  mountain  and  val- 
186 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

ley,  boisterous  crag  or  delicate  snowflake  or 
gleaming  crystal  of  quartz.  Indeed,  any  form 
that  the  crude  material  assumes,  absolutely,  in- 
flexibly requires  the  word  of  God;  but  the  mind 


THE  TREE  WITH  ITS  FRUITAGE  OF  YOUNG 
BIRDS 


rests  more  easily  upon  these  root-terms.  As  a 
man  says,  if  he  has  the  pile  of  lumber  he  can 
make  the  chair  or  desk  or  table  or  stand  or 
house,  but  he  can  not  make  the  tree  from  which 
to  obtain  lumber.  It  is  a  fallacy  of  the  mind, 
187 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

but  many  have  said  that  if  only  they  have  mat- 
ter and  the  laws  of  nature  to  start  with,  they 
can  account  for  the  making  of  sea  and  land,  for- 
getting that  every  law  of  nature  is  the  written 
word  of  God  and  that  every  sun  that  is  fash- 
ioned or  every  snowflake  is  God  in  action. 

So  to  this  man  I  say  that  we  will  stand  in 
the  beginning  by  the  side  of  God,  when  there  is 
nothing  else:  no  sun  or  world,  no  matter  or 
space,  no  time,  only  God,  the  Eternal  God, 
Eternity.  And  looking  from  that  distant  point 
toward  the  day  in  which  we  live,  we  see  the 
coming  into  being  of  the  "star-dust"  in  what- 
ever form  it  may  have  been,  coming  into  ex- 
istence because  God  spoke. 

We  look  again,  no  matter  how  many  ages 
may  have  passed  in  the  shaping  of  matter  by 
God  into  various  forms;  we  look  again,  and 
there  is  life,  for  God  has  done  another  mighty 
thing  in  the  forward  journey  of  the  world.  We 
do  not  speak  of  any  particular  form  of  life, 
whether  the  crudest  that  lives  in  slimy  waters 
or  the  more  complex  of  brilliant  bird  and  beau- 
tiful flower  or  of  man  himself;  but  life  that 
will  work  itself  out  into  myriads  of  forms  if 
188 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

God  will  but  speak  the  word,  the  "ground- 
substance"  out  of  which  all  of  these  forms  will 
come.  Life  has  come  into  being  because  God 
has  spoken. 

We  look  on  still  farther,  and  now  there  is 
consciousness  :  whether  the  lowest  knowledge 
of  rude  life  which  knows  only  what  is  food  and 
what  is  warmth,  or  the  knowledge  of  the  bird 
which  knows  when  the  night  has  passed  and  the 
light  is  breaking  through  the  eastern  skies  and 
it  warbles  its  matin  in  field  or  orchard,  or  the 
fox  which  knows  the  track  of  the  rabbit,  com- 
ing across  it  in  the  snow,  and  sets  out  in  pur- 
suit of  it,  or  the  broader  knowledge  of  man 
ending  in  libraries  and  inventions  and  discov- 
eries; here  is  Consciousness,  the  underlying  fac- 
tor in  all  of  this,  and  we  are  beholding  another 
great  step  in  advance  that  has  come  by  the  word 
of  God. 

Again  we  look,  and  conscience  has  come 
into  being:  whether  the  crude  conscience  of  the 
Indian  who  comes  across  the  cache  of  his  rival 
who  has  left  there  the  pemmican  or  venison  or 
parched  corn  against  the  day  of  his  return  from 
distant  journeyings,  and  the  conscience  of  the 
189 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

red  man  speaks  to  him,  and  he  says,  "I  will  not 
take  the  food  of  my  rival,  for  his  very  life  de- 
pends upon  it,  and  it  would  be  unfair;  I  ought 
not  to  take  away  the  morsel  of  bread  that  will 
prevent  his  starving  to  death;"  or  whether  it 
be  the  developed  conscience  of  the  Christian, 
who  not  only  says,  "I  ought  not  to  take  what 
belongs  to  my  neighbor,"  but  who  also  says, 
"I  ought  to  feed  my  neighbor  who  is  hungry, 
and  clothe  him  who  is  naked;  and  I  ought  to 
do  good  to  him  who  hates  me," — does  not 
matter.  Another  factor  has  entered  the  world, 
and  another  long  step  has  been  taken  in  the 
upward  climb  of  man,  for  out  of  conscience  has 
sprung  justice  and  mercy,  unselfishness  and 
brotherhood,  as  well  as  morality  and  the  re- 
ligions of  humanity.  And  conscience  has 
come  because  God  has  spoken  the  word. 

Another  word  remains  to  be  spoken.  From 
that  beginning  when  God  only  was,  we  have 
come  a  long  journey,  but  we  have  not  come 
to  the  end  of  the  journey  or  reached  the  brow 
of  the  hill.  Looking  around  upon  this  world 
with  all  that  we  have  found  in  it  springing  from 
matter  and  life  and  consciousness  and  conscience, 
190 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

we  are  still  in  perplexity  and  despair,  for  here 
is  neither  appreciable  plan  nor  purpose  nor  jus- 
tification, and  we  must  content  ourselves  with  a 
"Riddle  of  the  Universe."  But  God  did  not 
leave  us  with  an  unsolved  riddle  on  our  hands. 
He  spoke  again,  and  the  Word  was  made  flesh 
and  dwelt  among  us,  and  we  beheld  the  glory 
of  God.  He  spoke,  and  the  heavens  opened 
and  the  Son  of  God  came  to  earth  to  give  an 
answer  to  the  riddle,  a  meaning  to  all  that  God 
had  done  hitherto. 

Leave  Christ  out  of  the  equation,  and  we 
look  upon  what  may  be  a  building,  but  a  build- 
ing standing  unfinished,  without  a  purpose; 
leave  Christ  out  of  the  equation,  and  we  look 
upon  the  body  of  a  man  with  limbs  and  trunk, 
but  without  head  and  only  a  question-mark  in 
place  of  a  head,  or  the  face  of  some  horrid  mon- 
ster. Some  men  have  tried  to  remove  Christ 
from  the  story  of  creation,  and  as  a  result  they 
have  taken  us  into  the  woods  and  lost  us  and 
themselves  there.  What  infidel  has  given  us 
an  answer  to  our  questions,  has  given  a  worthy 
explanation  to  creation  as  we  see  it?  But  God 
did  not  leave  Christ  out  of  the  equation.  He 
191 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

who  had  builded  a  temple  with  its  material  sub- 
structure, its  foundation  of  life,  its  walls  of 
knowledge,  its  arches  of  conscience  did  not  leave 
it  unroofed  or  unfinished,  but  gave  Christ  to 
the  world,  the  Completion  of  His  plans,  the 
Answer  to  our  questions,  the  Explanation  of 
creation. 

God  has  been  speaking  and  doing  things  from 
the  beginning  that  we  might  have  a  home — a 
home  with  its  burdens,  for  we  need  them  to 
make  our  muscles  strong  and  to  brace  our  spir- 
its: but  a  home  of  cheer  and  victory,  because 
we  can  bear  the  burdens  and  endure  the  heat  of 
the  day;  and  a  home  of  love,  because  Christ 
is  with  us  as  our  Guest,  to  cheer  and  lighten 
and  make  strong  for  the  battle  and  make  tender 
toward  the  unfortunate. 

From  the  beginning  God  was  thinking  of 
man,  saying,  "Let  us  make  man  in  our  image." 
When  He  was  at  work  upon  suns  and  worlds, 
upon  prairies  and  ocean-beds,  He  was  thinking 
of  the  time  when  He  would  have  children  in 
the  earth  to  sing  His  praises;  when  He  was 
covering  the  earth  with  growing  things  and 
creeping  and  flying  things  He  was  looking 
192 


GOD  THE  ETERNAL  FORCE 

ahead  to  the  time  when  these  things  would  be 
a  delight  to  His  children. 

And  the  fullness  of  time  is  here,  and  His 
Son  has  come  to  tell  us  of  the  Father's  love  and 
care,  and  His  hope  that  we  will  appreciate  His 
love  for  us  and  enjoy  the  world  He  has  made 
and  love  His  other  children  and  make  our  lives 
free  from  defiling  things  and  sin  of  every  kind. 
And  in  our  extremity  He  has  not  forgotten  or 
forsaken  us.  He  who  spoke  worlds  into  ex- 
istence and  made  life  on  the  earth  is  ready  and 
waiting  to  speak  new  life  into  our  souls.  Even 
now  the  Christ  who  came  to  seek  and  save  the 
lost,  who  came  with  all  power  given  to  Him,  is 
ready  to  come  and  make  us  strong,  to  give  us 
so  much  life  that  we  can  throw  off  the  sins  that 
seek  to  infest  our  hearts  and  the  temptations 
that  everywhere  beset  us;  and  while  it  is  well 
for  us  to  know  much  about  the  works  of  God 
in  the  world,  may  we  not  forget  that  this  is  the 
great  work  of  God,  that  we  might  know  Him 
whom  He  hath  sent. 


x3  193 


VII 
PATHFINDERS 


PATHFINDERS 

"And  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  forty  days,  that  Noah 
opened  the  window  of  the  ark  which  he  had  made;  and  he 
sent  forth  a  raven,  which  went  forth  to  and  fro,  until  the 
waters  were  dried  up  from  off  the  earth.  Also  he  sent  forth 
a  dove  from  him,  to  see  if  the  waters  were  abated  from  off 
the  face  of  the  ground ;  but  the  dove  found  no  rest  for  the 
sole  of  her  foot,  and  she  returned  unto  him  into  the  ark, 
for  the  waters  were  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth:  then  he 
put  forth  his  hand,  and  took  her,  and  pulled  her  in  unto 
him  into  the  ark.  And  he  stayed  yet  other  seven  days,  and 
again  he  sent  forth  the  dove  out  of  the  ark;  and  the  dove 
came  in  to  him  in  the  evening;  and,  lo,  in  her  mouth  was 
an  olive  leaf  plucked  off;  so  Noah  knew  that  the  waters 
were  abated  from  off  the  earth.  And  he  stayed  yet  other 
seven  days;  and  sent  forth  the  dove;  which  returned  not 
again  unto  him  any  more." — Genesis  8 :  6-12. 

"The  cormorant  and  the  bittern  shall  possess  the  land; 
the  owl  also  and  the  raven  shall  dwell  in  it.  The  wild 
beasts  of  the  desert  shall  also  meet  with  the  wild  beasts  of 
the  island,  and  the  satyr  shall  cry  to  his  fellow ;  the  screech- 
owl  also  shall  rest  there,  and  find  for  herself  a  place  of  rest. 
There  shall  the  great  owl  make  her  nest,  and  lay,  and  hatch, 
and  gather  under  her  shadow;  there  shall  the  vultures  also 
be  gathered,  every  one  with  her  mate.  Seek  ye  out  the  Book 
of  the  Lord,  and  read:  no  one  of  these  shall  fail,  none  shall 
want  her  mate:  for  my  mouth  it  hath  commanded,  and  His 
spirit,  it  hath  gathered  them." — Isaiah  34:11,  14-16. 


VII 


"There  is  a  path  which  no  fowl  knoweth,  and  which  the 
vulture's  eye  hath  not  seen." — Job  28 :  7. 

THERE  is  a  path  which  no  fowl  knoweth 
and  which  the  vulture's  eye  hath  not 
seen,  and  there  are  eyes  given  to  men 
— some  men — which  see  the  path  known  to  the 
vulture,  and  which  also  see  the  path  which 
leadeth  to  the  presence  and  heart  of  God.  The 
man  who  speaks  the  poetry  of  this  text  and  who 
feels  the  poetry  of  the  divine  life  in  his  heart 
is  such  a  man. 

Is  it  true  that  we  must  be  born  with  the 
faculty  of  seeing  the  wonders  of  Nature? 
Many  insist  that  poets  come  to  their  greatness 
as  a  matter  of  birthright,  and  not  of  drudgery; 
insist  that  one  with  the  rare  ability  to  command, 
to  organize,  to  be  an  executive,  must  be  born 
with  that  gift.  Is  it  true  that  one  who  follows 
the  bird  in  "its  boundless  flight,"  that  one  who 
looks  with  awe  upon  the  mysteries  of  the  uni- 
197 


PATHFINDERS 

verse,  does  so  from  the  beginning?  Or  is  it 
true  that  here  is  a  faculty  universal,  belonging 
to  every  man,  but  lying  dormant,  uncultivated, 
unknown  perhaps,  requiring  only  to  be  discov- 
ered and  uncovered  and  exercised  to  be  given  a 
chance  ? 

All  folks  have  eyes;  but  with  many  of  them 
the  eyes  are  a  sham,  a  mere  pretense,  as  deceiv- 
ing as  the  marble  veneer  over  the  rough  bricks. 
In  Jesus'  time  it  seemed  as  though  blind  men 
sat  by  every  wayside.  In  our  time  blind  men 
are  thronging  our  streets,  are  crossing  our 
thresholds,  are  staring  vacantly  into  the  face  of 
the  sky,  into  the  face  of  the  forest,  into  the  face 
of  the  orchard.  Having  eyes,  they  do  not  see ; 
nay,  they  do  not  have  eyes.  Something  is  lack- 
ing. The  flesh  is  there,  the  cornea  and  iris  and 
pupil,  the  crystalline  lens,  the  aqueous  humor 
and  vitreous  humor,  the  retina  and  optic  nerve, 
but  the  spirit  is  lacking.  And  without  the  spirit 
of  seeing  the  flesh  of  seeing  is  weak. 

These  blind  men  gazing  upon  the  dandelions 

adorning  the  field  in  early  spring,   displaying 

beauty  enough  to  make  a  seer  weep  for  joy  as 

they  catch  the  golden   sunshine   and  reflect  it 

198 


PATHFINDERS 

back  from  their  own  faces,  each  blossom  a  nug- 
get of  glistening  gold  set  in  a  field  of  emerald- 
green,  and  each  blossom  of  the  flower-cluster 
a  work  of  technique,  a  work  of  art;  these  men 


THE  VULTURE'S  EYE 

Young  Marsh  Hawks 


say,  "Humph,  a  lot  of  weeds."  Gazing  upon 
the  hulls  of  God's  fleet  of  battleships  as  they 
come  into  vision  on  the  distant  edge  of  the  hori- 
zon and  plow  their  way  so  majestically  from 
horizon  to  zenith,  maneuvering  for  position  as 
199 


PATHFINDERS 

they  sail  in  the  great  blue  ocean  above  us,  the 
blind  man  says,  "Humph,  going  to  rain;  ugly- 
looking  black  clouds ;  let *s  get  in  the  house  and 
close  the  door  and  draw  the  curtains."  But  the 
curtains  are  already  drawn.  Gazing  on  the 
place  where  waters  lurk  in  quiet  pasture-pools 
and  give  birth  to  reed  and  rush  and  sedge,  which 
make  music  all  the  day,  instruments  of  many 
strings  breathing  music  when  blown  upon  by 
the  gentle  breeze,  where  birds  sing  to  the  morn- 
ing-sun and  the  frogs  at  twilight  pipe  to  the 
rising  moon,  and  the  muskrat  thrusts  his  nose 
across  the  quiet  pond  and  breaks  its  surface  into 
many  circles;  he  says,  "Humph,  nothing  but  a 
swamp  and  mud  and  weeds  and  frogs ;  let 's  go 
where  we  can  get  something  to  eat  or  where 
we  can  see  something."  Such  folks  are  to  be 
pitied  who  shut  themselves  away  from  and  who 
are  blind  to  the  beauty  and  grace  and  fragrance 
and  music  with  which  God  has  satiated  His 
world.  But  though  they  are  born  blind,  there 
is  hope  that,  as  Jesus  long  ago  touched  the  eyes 
and  they  were  opened  to  see,  so  now  these  eyes 
may  be  touched  and  made  to  see  by  waiting  upon 
the  works  of  Christ,  by  waiting  upon  the  paths 
200 


PATHFINDERS 

of  God,  by  keeping  company  with  such  men  as 
Job. 

Here  is  a  man  whose  book  would  be  worthy 
of  its  place  in  the  Bible  not  only  because  He 
kept  his  confidence  with  God,  but  because  he 
had  so  much  to  say  about  God's  world.  He 
talked  of  the  stars  and  the  groupings  of  the 
stars,  Arcturus  and  Orion  and  the  Pleiades;  he 
talked  of  the  rain  and  snow,  of  the  hail  and 
frost,  of  the  balancings  of  the  clouds,  of  hawk 
and  eagle  and  bittern  and  owl;  of  rabbits  and 
wild  goats,  of  lions  and  lion's  whelps,  of  be- 
hemoth and  leviathan.  And  it  will  be  worth 
our  while  to  stand  by  the  side  of  this  man  and 
look  out  upon  the  paths  that  are  seen  by  eyes 
of  birds  and  the  paths  that  are  seen  by  the  soul 
of  man.  It  may  be  that  the  mystery  and  unex- 
plainableness  of  the  wisdom  displayed  in  this 
world  by  the  creatures  of  this  world  may  lead 
us  to  look  with  eagerness  for  the  highway  which 
God  "hath  cast  up  for  His  children  to  walk 
in,"  to  find  it,  and  to  walk  therein. 

Birds  are  remarkable  pathfinders.  Peter  was 
cautioned  against  calling  anything  common  or 
unclean  that  God  had  made,  but  we  constantly 
201     ' 


PATHFINDERS 

repeat  Peter's  blunder.  We  have  called  the 
vulture  vulgar  and  unclean,  glutton  and  scaven- 
ger, feeder  upon  filth  and  carrion,  and  our 
empty  words  have  framed  our  prejudices  and 
blinded  us  to  the  wonderful  instinct  of  this  bird. 
But  Job  had  seen  what  we  might  see  in  our  own 
land.  He  had  been  among  the  hills  where  the 
sheep  were  pastured.  Some  lion  had  crept  upon 
the  flock  without  being  detected  by  the  shepherd, 
and  had  struck  down  the  helpless  sheep,  had 
satisfied  its  hunger,  and  had  left  the  remnants 
of  the  carcasses  to  decay,  a  disagreeable  odor 
to  nostril,  a  menace  to  health. 

And  while  Job  had  stood  on  the  hilltop  look- 
ing upon  the  wreckage  lying,  yonder  in  the  val- 
ley, he  had  seen  a  black  speck  appear  over  the 
top  of  the  distant  mountain,  miles  away,  and 
grow  larger  as  it  came  nearer.  Then  from  an- 
other quarter  another  black  speck  appeared; 
across  the  plain,  behind  him,  others  appeared. 
Here  and  there,  perhaps  from  every  point  of  the 
compass,  these  objects  came  in  sight,  so  many 
miles  away  that  they  seemed  like  flakes  of  soot 
hanging  in  the  air.  But  as  he  watched  they  grew 
larger  and  came  nearer,  until  he  could  see  the 
202 


PATHFINDERS 

steady  beating  of  wings  like  the  marching  of 
the  feet  of  soldiers,  until  he  could  see  the  head 
steadily  dividing  the  air;  and  then  one  by  one 
these  birds  dropped  on  the  ground  by  the  side 
of  the  mangled  corpses,  made  their  meal  from 
the  fragments,  and  did  man  a  service,  these 
scavengers  of  God  appointed  to  keep  the  earth 
sweet  and  clean. 

But  this  man  was  thinking  not  of  that  service, 
but  of  the  mysteries  involved  in  the  coming  of 
the  birds.  Without  chart  or  compass  each  had 
found  its  way  to  the  desired  spot.  Each  eye 
had  seen  the  path,  each  bird  had  kept  the  path. 
We  wonder  at  the  wizardry  of  the  wireless  tel- 
egraphy, the  flashing  of  unseen  messages  along 
paths  which  only  God  has  made.  But  here  is 
more  wonderful  wizardry.  What  was  the  mes- 
sage that  went  flying  through  the  air,  across 
valley  and  plain,  over  hill  and  mountain,  tell- 
ing of  the  creatures  slain,  of  the  banquet  pro- 
vided? What  was  the  message  which  gave  di- 
rections, routes,  so  that  these  birds  were  not 
lost  in  the  intervening  forests,  were  not  diverted 
by  the  hills?  In  our  ignorance  which  we  are 
slow  to  acknowledge  we  suggest  that  perhaps 
203 


PATHFINDERS 

here  are  eyes  wonderfully  adapted  for  far- 
seeing,  or  we  talk  of  the  powers  of  smell  ac- 
centuated so  that  these  birds  can  smell  death 
twenty  miles  away.  If  these  theories  be  true 
( and  they  are  only  theories :  we  do  not  know 
how  these  things  are)  we  ought  to  be  dumb  in 
the  presence  of  Him  who  can  put  such  marvel- 
ous ability  into  such  creatures.  In  our  endeav- 
ors to  cloak  our  ignorance,  to  deny  our  igno- 
rance, let  us  not  foolishly  lose  the  wonder  of  it 
which  Job  felt  that  day;  the  vulture's  eye  sees 
a  path  through  the  blue  sky,  stretching  from 
his  aerie  on  the  hillside  to  the  distant  place 
where  the  food  is  provided. 

The  birds  are  marvelous  pathfinders.  At 
present  they  have  practically  left  us,  an  oc- 
casional chickadee  or  woodpecker  or  crow  or 
blue  jay  or  shore-lark  lingering  to  tell  us  that 
they  will  come  back;  but  they  have  gone. 
They  are  visiting  in  Southern  States  or  Mexico 
or  South  America.  But  in  a  few  weeks  they 
will  commence  drifting  back  from  the  South, 
heralded  by  the  honk  of  the  wild  goose  and 
accompanied  by  countless  twitterings  from 
countless  throats.  Now,  we  are  so  accustomed 
204 


PATHFINDERS 

to  this,  it  is  so  common,  that  our  eyes  and 
minds  are  closed  to  the  amazing  wonder  of  it. 
Think  a  minute.  In  Central  America  is  a 
tiny  bird,  little  larger  than  your  thumb,  one  of 
the  dainty  warblers.  Last  year  it  was  hatched 
in  some  Canadian  forest.  Last  autumn  it  went 
South  along  the  eastern  mountain-ranges.  One 
spring  morning  the  migratory-instinct  becomes 
dominant.  Perhaps  it  has  been  restless  for 
days;  but  this  morning  it  sees  a  path  leading 
up  the  Mississippi  Valley  basin  to  the  Canadian 
forest.  Though  it  has  never  been  over  the 
road,  it  starts  on  its  journey.  Here  are  hun- 
dreds of  bewildering  miles,  great  forests  and 
great  plains.  The  bird  is  not  a  student  of  ge- 
ography, can  not  read  mile-posts,  carries  no 
atlas,  has  no  compass,  is  not  familiar  with  the 
territory.  Nay,  apparently  it  does  not  even  see 
the  territory,  for  it  travels  mainly  by  night.  If 
you  will  stand  out-of-doors  some  May  evening 
and  look  at  the  moon,  you  may  see  it  for  a 
brief  moment  as  it  darts  across  the  face  of  the 
moon.  Day  after  day  as  the  migratory  spirit 
moves  it,  it  drifts  northward,  feeding  as  it  lei- 
surely goes,  or  hurrying  in  flight  as  though  fear- 
205 


PATHFINDERS 

ing  it  might  be  late.  Not  lost  in  the  forests, 
always  knowing  where  the  North  lies;  not  be- 
wildered by  the  network  of  rivers,  on  and  on 
it  drifts,  and  one  day  it  "arrives." 

Or  look,  again,  at  the  golden  plover.  It  nests 
in  the  far  North,  almost  under  the  shadow  of 
the  north  pole.  It  winters  in  Patagonia,  nearly 
a  half-world  away.  When  it  gets  ready  to  go 
it  springs  into  the  air,  sweeps  out  over  the 
ocean,  and  far  out  of  sight  of  land  it  makes 
that  flight  the  length  of  the  Atlantic,  and  alights 
only  when  it  has  reached  the  end  of  its  journey. 
Can  we  explain  these  great  mysteries?  I  am 
familiar  with  the  theories  about  the  young  birds 
being  guided  by  the  old  birds,  about  the  need 
of  headlands  for  guidance,  about  the  food- 
question,  about  the  far-away  influence  of  the 
glacial  period.  If  any  of  these  theories  are 
proved,  the  wonder  would  not  be  lessened  how 
that  God  could  put  such  wonderful  powers, 
either  quickly  or  by  slow  development,  it  does 
not  matter,  into  these  tiny  creatures.  But  these 
theories  are  not  proved;  they  are  but  poorly- 
woven  cloaks  for  our  ignorance.  We  do  not 
know  how  these  things  are,  but  we  know  that 
206 


PATHFINDERS 

they  are;  and  it  will  be  well  for  us  with  open 
eyes  and  open  hearts  to  look  upon  this  wonder- 
ful thing,  that  God  can  build  paths  for  these 
birds  and  can  give  these  birds  the  power  to  find 
and  keep  the  path. 

Man  has  this  pathfinding  instinct.  In 
Cooper's  novels  of  the  frontier  life  the  "path- 
finder"  is  the  man  who  is  able  to  see  the  path 
that  does  not  exist,  so  far  as  the  ordinary 
man  is  concerned.  He  moves  swiftly  through 
brushy  thickets,  up  hills,  across  streams.  You 
see  nothing :  he  declares  he  sees  a  path  the  moose 
has  made.  Outside  of  the  tent  you  see  the  grass 
standing  undisturbed.  This  man  sees  the  path 
of  the  red  deer,  the  black  bear,  the  gray  squirrel, 
the  white-footed  mouse,  the  lumbering  porcu- 
pine. You  look  at  the  swift  waters  of  some 
Northern  stream,  with  protruding  boulders  and 
hidden  reefs,  with  eddies  and  whirlpools,  and 
say  there  is  no  chance  for  a  canoe  to  go  through 
without  being  crushed  by  the  mad  river.  He 
looks  and  sees  through  the  maze  of  rocks  and 
eddies  and  foaming  waters  a  path,  and  with 
paddle  in  hand  he  follows  that  path  like  a 
rocket,  follows  the  path  as  it  turns  quickly, 
207 


PATHFINDERS 

swerves  swiftly  through  eddies,  around  rocks  to 
the  quiet  waters  below.  He  sees  these  paths 
because  his  pathfinding  instincts  are  not  blunted ; 
they  have  been  exercised  and  developed  until  he 
has  become  a  normal  animal-man.  The  bulk 
of  us  without  this  power  to  see  the  paths 
about  us,  are  not  normal.  We  are  abnormal; 
these  faculties  have  degenerated  through  disuse. 
Civilization  may  do  many  good  things  for  us. 
It  weakens  and  destroys  many  of  our  keenest 
faculties.  The  red  man  sees  the  points  of  the 
compass  on  the  trunks  of  the  trees;  moss  and 
flower  as  well  as  star  and  sun  point  him  un- 
erringly to  the  path  he  must  take  to  the  desired 
hunting-ground.  The  path  is  there  for  the  man 
who  has  eyes  to  see. 

In  the  natural,  material  world  God  has 
laid  the  boundaries  and  marked  the  paths, 
and  has  builded  faculties  in  His  creatures  en- 
abling them  to  follow  the  paths.  God's  hands 
may  be  invisible,  but  God's  handiwork  is 
everywhere  manifest.  The  world  is  filled 
with  the  works  of  God,  the  wonders  of 
God,  the  miracles  of  God.  He  gives  power 
to  the  eye  to  see,  and  He  decrees,  "Thus  far 
208 


PATHFINDERS 

shalt  thou  see,  and  no  farther."  He  gives 
strength  to  the  legs  of  a  horse,  and  He  limits 
the  power,  saying,  "Thus  fast  shalt  thou  run, 
and  no  faster."  He  gives  genius  and  skill  to 
man  to  invent  the  machine  that  will  climb  the 
steeps  of  heaven,  and  He  limits  the  heights  to 
which  man  can  climb.  Everywhere  are  the 
paths,  material  paths,  God  hath  made;  and 
everywhere  is  life  with  ability  to  follow  the 
paths.  Some  folks  are  dismayed  at  the  thought 
of  miracles,  impossible  things.  Why,  every  bird 
that  sees  and  keeps  the  path  across  the  continent 
is  a  miracle,  an  unexplainable,  impossible  thing. 
Instinct  is  but  a  name  for  wisdom  and  cunning 
which  God  through  the  ages  has  packed  into 
these  creatures.  God  is  the  Maker  of  the  path, 
and  God  is  the  Giver  of  the  pathfinding  instinct. 
So  all  life,  bird  or  horse  or  man,  has  its  limits, 
its  boundaries,  its  ways  decreed. 

This  path  for  all  life  is  sensuous,  depending 
upon  eye  and  ear  to  find,  upon  muscle  and  fiber 
to  give  strength  to  follow,  upon  some  passion 
to  urge  to  follow.  This  path  is  material,  be- 
ginning with  the  mystery  of  birth,  when  in  some 
way  which  only  God  understands  and  can  do, 
x4  209 


PATHFINDERS 

life  and  dust  strike  hands  and  set  out  along  the 
path;  ending  with  death  when  the  journey  is 
finished  and  life  flits  away,  God  only  knows 
where  or  how,  and  the  dust  falls  back  upon  the 
bosom  of  mother  Earth.  This  path  of  life  re- 
veals strength  and  energy,  agility  and  cunning, 
fear  and  savagery,  and  many  another  passion; 
but  nowhere  along  this  path  will  you  find  the 
word  "behavior."  Squirrels,  finding  the  store- 
house where  some  other  squirrel  has  placed  the 
nuts  for  winter  use,  steal  them,  but  do  not  call 
it  stealing;  the  spider  mimics  a  withered  leaf 
or  gay  flower,  that  it  may  seize  the  unsusped> 
ing  insect,  but  does  not  call  it  deception.  The 
stag  will  steal  his  neighbor's  wife  without 
thought  of  immorality,  the  hawk  will  kill  the 
dove,  and  there  is  no  murder  in  its  heart.  There 
are  no  Ten  Commandments  along  the  sensuous 
path. 

And  we  are  sensuous  creatures,  creatures  of 
dust,  creatures  of  time,  of  animal  energy  and 
animal  passion.  We  do  things  without  taking 
"behavior"  into  account.  The  cave-dwellers  of 
England  drive  out  the  wild  beasts  from  the  cave 
with  the  same  spirit  displayed  as  when  the  larger 
210 


PATHFINDERS 

bear  drives  out  the  smaller  from  its  own  cave; 
and  the  Indians  overrun  the  mound-builders' 
territories,  the  Huns  invade  Europe,  or  our 
fathers,  the  Saxons,  invade  the  land  of  the  Celts 
with  the  same  spirit  displayed  in  the  migration 
of  the  moose  or  the  marmots.  Much  of  our 
activity  is  of  the  flesh,  much  of  our  journeying 
is  along  the  path  of  the  flesh,  and  in  this  we 
are  following  the  path  which  God  made  when 
He  made  us  as  other  creatures  out  of  the  dust. 
We  know  these  paths  as  the  birds  know  them, 
for  they  are  the  decrees  of  the  Almighty.  Job 
understood  these  things:  that  birds  have  their 
lives  decreed  by  the  Almighty,  and  that  man 
has  his  earthy  life,  animal  life,  along  the  same 
lines — paths  which  he  follows  because  of  the 
way  in  which  God  has  made  him  of  the  dust. 
But  he  also  knew  that  there  were  other  paths, 
higher  paths,  unknown  to  the  vulture,  the  fowl 
of  the  air;  paths  which  man  knows  or  might 
know,  along  which  he  might  be  guided  by  the 
will  of  God.  What  he  endeavored  to  say  is 
what  Bryant  endeavored  to  say: 

"Whither,  midst  falling  dew, 

While  glow  the  heavens  with  the  last  steps  of  day, 
Far,  through  their  rosy  depths,  dost  thou  pursue 
Thy  solitary  way? 

211 


PATHFINDERS 

"Seek'st  thou  the  plashy  brink 

Of  weedy  lake  or  marge  of  river  wide, 
Or  where  the  rocking  billows  rise  and  sink 
On  the  chafed  ocean-side? 

"There  is  a  Power  whose  care 

Teaches  thy  way  along  that  pathless  coast — 
The  desert  and  illimitable  air — 
Lone  wandering,  but  not  lost. 

'Thou  art  gone,  the  abyss  of  heaven 

Hath  swallowed  up  thy  form;  yet,  on  my  heart 
Deeply  has  sunk  the  lesson  thou  hast  given, 

And  shall  not  soon  depart. 

"He  who,  from  zone  to  zone, 

Guides  through  the  boundless  sky  thy  certain  flight, 
In  the  long  way  that  I  must  tread  alone, 
Will  lead  my  steps  aright." 

Job  is  looking  beyond  the  vulture's  flight 
from  mountain  to  valley,  away  to  the  souPs 
flight  from  the  celestial  mountain  "to  the 
island-valley  of  Avilion,  where  falls  not  hail, 
or  rain,  or  any  snow;"  looking  beyond  the  flight 
across  the  continent  to  the  flight  across  the 
heavens  to  the  realm  of  perfect  day ;  looking  be- 
yond the  flight  of  bird  fleeing  from  storm  and 
cold  to  the  flight  of  man  fleeing  from  storm  and 
pain  and  sorrow  and  crying,  away  from  the 
flight  of  bird  that  lasts  but  a  few  days  to  the 
flight  of  the  soul  out  toward  the  eternities,  away 
212 


PATHFINDERS 

from  the  paths  along  which  flesh  follows  to  the 
paths  along  which  the  spirit  of  man  journeys 
or  may  journey. 

We  are  looking  now  not  at  the  paths  along 


WHITHER   DOST  THOU    PURSUE  THY  SOLITARY 
WAY? 

which  God's  creatures  walk,  but  at  the  path 
along  which  God  walks.  God  is  a  Spirit,  and 
they  that  worship  Him  must  worship  Him  in 
spirit  and  in  truth ;  God  walks  in  a  spiritual  path, 
and  they  that  walk  with  Him  must  walk  in  the 
213 


PATHFINDERS 

spiritual  way.  There  is  a  path  that  is  not 
builded  of  rock  and  clay,  of  atom  and  ether, 
or  measured  by  time  and  terminating  in  death. 
There  is  a  spiritual  path  along  which  God 
walks,  builded  of  righteousness  and  holiness,  of 
justice  and  mercy,  of  tenderness  and  pity,  of 
compassion  and  love.  This  highway  begins  in 
eternity  and  ends  in  eternity.  There  are  no 
clocks  along  the  Way,  with  doleful  ticking  to 
alarm  us  with  the  thought  that  life  is  fleeing. 
Along  this  way  it  is  always  morning,  and  we  are 
always  facing  the  noon  of  the  day ;  there  are  no 
almanacs  to  tell  us  that  summer  is  past  and  the 
chilling  blasts  of  winter  will  soon  be  upon  us :  it 
is  always  spring-time,  and  we  are  always  facing, 
running  toward  the  days  of  June;  along  the 
way  there  is  no  city  of  the  dead:  but  before  us 
the  city  of  the  living;  no  rolling  of  the  mourn- 
ful waters  of  death :  but  the  flowing  of  the  wa- 
ters of  life.  God's  path  has  no  limit.  Here 
there  are  limits  everywhere:  the  wall  of  the 
house,  the  setting  of  the  sun,  the  dropping  of 
the  sky  into  horizon,  the  close  of  the  book ;  the 
limit  of  the  spirit-world  is  forever.  Here  we 
drop  the  hand  of  our  loved  one  when  it  grows 
214 


PATHFINDERS 

tired  and  death  comes;  there,  there  is  no  death. 
Here  we  grow  tired  of  earth's  business;  there 
they  do  not  grow  tired  of  the  King's  business. 
It  is  the  realm  where  God  dwells,  the  path 
along  which  God  runs  and  does  not  grow  weary. 
And  what  came  into  the  mind  of  Job  that 
day  was,  that  there  is  a  path  which  leadeth  to 
God's  Kingdom  and  to  God  Himself,  unknown 
to  the  vulture's  eye,  that  may  be  seen  by  the 
eye  of  man,  that  may  be  walked  in  by  the  feet 
of  man.  We  are  big  enough  to  walk  in  two 
paths.  Man  is  bigger  than  the  clay  he  molds, 
the  mountain  he  tunnels,  the  sea  he  crosses. 
Man  holds  these  things  in  his  mind,  his  heart, 
and  is  bigger  than  the  things  he  holds,  and  must 
be.  Napoleon  with  mind  big  enough  to  con- 
quer the  Alps,  to  plan  for  the  making  of  the 
Alps  but  a  footstool  for  the  feet  of  his  march- 
ing soldiers,  is  bigger  than  the  Alps;  Columbus 
holding  the  mighty  storm-tossed  Atlantic  from 
Spain  to  the  West  Indies  in  his  mind,  is  bigger 
than  the  ocean  he  humbles.  Man  given  domin- 
ion over  the  earth,  and  asserting  that  dominion, 
is  bigger  than  the  earth  he  subdues,  with  its 
atom  and  ether,  its  energy  and  force,  its  life 
215 


PATHFINDERS 

and  death,  including  his  own  animal  existence. 
Man  looking  away  to  the  stars,  climbing  to  the 
stars,  reaching  out  toward  God,  is  big  enough 
to  walk  in  TWO  paths.  He  walks  the  path  of 
the  dust,  for  God  made  him  of  the  dust;  but 
he  also  walks  the  path  of  the  spirit,  or  may  walk 
it,  for  God  breathed  into  him  the  breath  of  life 
and  made  him  a  living  soul. 

We  are  more  than  vultures.  I  resent  the 
barren,  dying  claims  of  the  materialist  that  man 
is  only  a  vulture-kind,  with  a  life  of  the  flesh 
and  no  other  life,  with  paths  of  earth  before 
him  and  no  other  paths.  The  birds  in  their 
earthy  lives  display  cunning  and  skill  and  ability 
to  do  that  tax  our  credulity,  that  baffle  our 
powers  of  understanding;  they  bear  proof 
enough  of  the  intelligence  and  wisdom  and 
ability  of  God.  But  they  are  one-talented,  and 
we  make  mistake  by  humanizing  them  and 
bringing  them  up  to  us  or  dehumanizing  us 
down  to  them.  They  are  one-talented,  we  are 
ten-talented.  There  is  an  intellectual  path  along 
which  the  bird  does  not  pass;  it  does  not  know 
and  can  not  know,  or  be  a  student  of  Greek  or 
Euclid,  or  understand  the  intricacies  of  the  spec- 
216 


PATHFINDERS 

trum  analysis.  When  Job  marveled  at  and 
studied  about  the  wonderful  instinct  of  the  bird, 
his  mind  was  flying  into  heights  inaccessible  to 
birds.  And  when  Job  was  thinking  of  the  great 
God  who  was  Creator  of  bird  and  man,  he  was 
flying  to  still  more  inaccessible  heights;  and 
when  he  bowed  down  and  worshiped  Him,  or 
when  he  sought  comradeship  with  God  and 
sought  to  walk  with  Him  along  the  spiritual 
way,  he  was  utterly  beyond  the  flight  of  fowls 
or  the  flight  of  the  earthy  man. 

The  reaching  out  of  a  man  after  God,  the 
flying  of  the  soul  toward  Him,  the  walking  with 
God,  is  as  real  and  comprehensible  as  the  mi- 
gration of  the  birds.  We  may  not  know  how 
it  is,  but  the  proof  is  found  in  this:  that  mul- 
titudes bear  witness  that  they  can  walk  and  do 
walk  with  Him  in  the  green  pastures  and  beside 
the  still  waters  of  the  Kingdom.  It  is  no  odds 
that  some  folks  are  not  walking  in  this  path 
this  day;  some  folks  are  not  at  church  or  at 
their  prayers,  are  not  living  clean  lives;  some 
folks  are  not  in  health  because  of  sin ;  some  are 
stupid  and  some  are  friendless  because  of  sin; 
that 's  no  odds,  these  things  are  possibilities,  re- 
217 


PATHFINDERS 

alities,  though  some  may  not  be  doing  them, 
sharing  them.  There  is  a  path  which  no  fowl 
knoweth,  which  God  hath  builded  for  His  chil- 
dren to  walk  in.  We  may  not  know  fully  the 
domain  it  traverses  or  understand  the  instinct 
which  urges  us  to  reach  out  toward  God,  or 
His  power  within  us  which  makes  it  possible 
for  us  to  walk  with  Him,  any  more  than  the 
bird  understands  all  that  is  involved  in  the 
flights  it  makes ;  but  we  know  enough  by  giving 
heed  to  our  true  selves  to  seek  after  Him. 

We  know  enough  to  know  that  behavior  is 
the  big  word  along  this  pathway.  Here  is  the 
Decalogue:  along  this  road  are  commandments 
that  per.tain  to  every  phase  of  life.  Over 
against  the  temptation  to  be  covetous,  to  be  de- 
ceitful, to  be  resentful,  to  be  proud,  to  be  im- 
pure, is  the  urgent,  insistent  command,  "Behave 
yourselves!"  uWho  shall  ascend  into  the  hill 
of  the  Lord  or  who  shall  stand  in  His  holy 
place?  He  that  hath  clean  hands  and  a  pure 
heart."  We  know  enough  to  know  that  it  calls 
for  a  life  of  consecration  to  the  best  and  holiest, 
the  forsaking  of  many  of  the  old  scenes  and 
pleasures  as  with  the  migrating  birds  to  a  dis- 
218 


PATHFINDERS 

tant  land;  it  calls  for  reliance  upon  God  as  the 
Builder  of  the  highway  and  the  Builder  of  the 
instinct  within  us  which  urges  us  on  toward  Him 
and  along  the  way  where  He  is  Comrade  and 
Guide.  We  know  enough  to  know  that  it  is  a 
way  of  love,  the  traveling  of  which  makes  us 
forget  old  enmities  and  grudges,  makes  us  to 
refuse  to  quarrel,  to  answer  the  one  who  would 
quarrel,  with  a  smile,  "No  time  for  this;  I  'm 
bound  for  heaven." 

Oh!  I  am  aware  that  many  know  only  the 
paths  which  the  fowls  know,  and  are  journey- 
ing the  paths  which  the  fowls  journey;  but  I 
also  am  aware  that  God  has  made  man  for 
some  better,  higher  thing  than  this.  We  are 
creatures  of  two  worlds,  and  if  we  live  in  but 
one,  it  is  our  fault,  not  God's,  who  has  built 
the  way  and  built  us  with  the  image  of  God 
and  the  instinct  to  follow  after  Him. 

"There  is  a  land  mine  eye  hath  seen 
In  visions  of  enraptured  thought, 
So  bright  that  all  which  spreads  between 
Is  with  its   radiant  glories  fraught." 

"There,  there  on  eagle-wings  we  soar, 
And  sin  and  sense  molest  no  more; 
And  heaven  comes  down  our  soul  to  greet, 
While  glory  crowns  the  mercy-seat." 

219 


PATHFINDERS 

Through  the  kindness  of  God,  by  His  help  and 
encouragement  and  guidance,  I  am  trying  to 
keep  step  with  Him  along  the  way  which  leads 
to  purity,  to  spirituality,  to  the  eternal  day. 
And  as  I  go  I  urge  with  all  the  urgency  and 
persuasiveness  of  a  messenger  of  God  that  you 
find  the  highway  of  God  and  with  Christ  for 
Shepherd  you  become  one  of  the  sheep  of  His 
pasture. 


220 


VIII 
DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

"O  Lord  our  Lord,  how  excellent  is  Thy  name  in  all  the 
earth !  who  hath  set  Thy  glory  above  the  heavens.  Out  of 
the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings  hast  Thou  ordained  strength 
because  of  Thine  enemies,  that  Thou  mightest  still  the  enemy 
and  the  avenger.  When  I  consider  Thy  heavens,  the  work 
of  Thy  fingers,  the  moon  and  the  stars,  which  Thou  hast 
ordained;  what  is  man,  that  Thou  art  mindful  of  him?  and 
the  son  of  man  that  Thou  visitest  him?  For  Thou  hast  made 
him  a  little  lower  than  the  angels,  and  hast  crowned  him 
with  glory  and  honor.  Thou  madest  him  to  have  dominion 
over  the  works  of  Thy  hands;  Thou  hast  put  all  things  un- 
der his  feet:  all  sheep  and  oxen,  yea,  and  the  beasts  of  the 
field;  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  what- 
soever passeth  through  the  paths  of  the  seas.  O  Lord  our 
Lord,  how  excellent  is  Thy  name  in  all  the  earth!" — Psalm  8. 


VIII 

"He  shall  bruise  the  head  of  the  serpent." — Genesis  3:15. 

IT  was  a  hot  July  afternoon.  There  were 
no  clouds  in  the  sky  to  temper  the  heat; 
there  was  no  stirring  of  faintest  breeze  to 
break  its  monotony  and  intensity.  The  sun, 
nearly  overhead,  was  pouring  its  ladle  of  molten 
rays  upon  the  earth,  the  leaves  were  drooping, 
the  corn  was  curling,  and  even  the  grass  seemed 
dry  and  parched.  That  afternoon  I  was  in  the 
shadow  of  a  little  tent,  with  camera  in  position, 
peering  through  an  opening  at  a  bird's  nest  not 
far  away.  It  was  the  nest  of  the  traill's  fly- 
catcher, built  in  the  fork  of  a  shrub  willow, 
about  six  feet  from  the  ground  on  the  edge  of 
a  willow-thicket.  During  the  past  days  I  had 
seen  the  nest  building,  the  nest  with  its  four 
beautiful  eggs,  cream-colored,  marked  with 
small  reddish-brown  spots,  the  nest  with  its  four 
newly-hatched  birds,  naked  and  so  helpless,  re- 
223 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

quiring  constant  attention.  But  to-day  they 
were  well-feathered  and  alert,  and  would  be 
ready  to  leave  the  nest  in  a  day  or  two  more. 
I  was  interested  in  watching  the  family-life, 
the  old  birds  frequently  returning  with  the  in- 
sect-food they  had  gathered  in  the  adjacent 
thicket,  adroitly  learning  which  was  the  hungry 
bird  to  be  fed,  carefully  cleaning  the  nest,  keep- 
ing it  sweet  and  tidy.  But  what  interested  me 
particularly  to-day  was  the  method  by  which 
one  of  the  old  birds  kept  the  young  birds  suffi- 
ciently cool.  The  rays  of  the  sun  beat  down 
upon  the  baby-birds,  scarcely  interrupted  by  the 
few  leaves  remaining  above  the  nest.  Some- 
times the  bird  would  stand  over  them  with 
spread  wings,  permitting  the  air  to  circulate 
and  yet  keeping  the  babes  in  the  shadow. 
Whether  that  did  not  cool  them  sufficiently  or 
whether  the  parent-bird  was  somewhat  alarmed 
by  the  tent,  I  know  not;  but  it  would  stand  on 
the  edge  of  the  nest  and  beat  its  wings  vigor- 
ously for  perhaps  five  seconds  or  more  at  a  time, 
thus  fanning  the  nestlings,  then  fly  away  to  the 
cool  of  the  thicket,  but  soon  return  to  repeat 
the  operation  after  feeding  one  of  the  little 
224 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

ones.     I  was  in  God's  great  university,  gaining 
knowledge  at  first  hand. 

I  noted  too  that  there  were  but  three  babes 
left  at  home,  and  surmised  the  reason.  It  was 
so  hot  in  the  nest,  and  it  was  so  crowded  with 


THE  SERPENT 


the  rapidly-growing  children,  that  one  more  ad- 
venturous than  the  others  had  left  the  nest, 
probably  hopping  from  twig  to  twig,  a  few 
feet  into  the  thicket,  for  it  was  not  quite  old 
enough  to  fly.  Now,  birds  ought  not  to  leave 
J5  225 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

the  nest  until  they  are  able  to  fly,  ought  to  re- 
main under  the  parents'  care;  but  this  one  had 
assumed  responsibility  for  itself  and  had  left 
the  parental  home,  lured  by  the  shade  and  cool 
of  the  thicket.  The  parents  were  not  pleased, 
but  were  helpless.  I  could  hear  the  subdued, 
anxious,  scolding  twittering  as  they  fed  the  lit- 
tle prodigal,  so  that  I  knew  it  was  there. 

Suddenly  I  heard  the  little  bird's  cries  for 
help:  piercing,  pathetic,  hopeless;  the  same 
pathos  that  is  revealed  all  through  the  animal 
world  under  like  circumstances,  when  a  rabbit 
is  caught  by  a  dog;  when  an  animal  is  caught 
by  a  trap  "which  sees  the  trapper  coming 
through  the  wood;"  when  a  wounded  bird  is 
caught  by  a  hunter;  and  I  knew  the  bird  was 
in  peril.  The  old  birds  were  immediately  at 
the  place  of  danger.  I  could  hear  their  wings 
beating  and  fluttering,  and  their  screams — tiny 
screams  from  tiny  throats;  but  seemingly  with- 
out avail,  for  they  did  not  cease. 

I    was    peering    eagerly,    intently    into    the 

thicket,  suspecting  the  enemy,  and  succeeded  in 

seeing  the  form  of  a  snake  hanging  down  among 

the  branches.     I  went  out  of  the  tent  hurriedly, 

226 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

seizing  a  stick  as  I  scrambled  among  the  shrub- 
bery, pushed  my  way  into  the  thicket,  and  found 
my  suspicions  confirmed.  A  snake  had  crawled 
up  among  the  willow-shrubs  and  had  seized  the 
young  helpless  bird,  intending  to  devour  it. 
What  a  revolting,  pathetic  picture !  To  most 
people  the  serpent  is  hideous  enough  under  most 
favorable  circumstances,  but  it  seemed  doubly 
a  hideous  monster  here.  Its  eyes  were  so  cold, 
icy,  steely,  relentless,  flashing  defiance  and 
threatening;  its  squirming  folds  sinister  and 
stealthy  in  movement;  its  jaws  rigidly  set  in  the 
wing  of  the  bird.  And  the  little  bird,  torn  from 
its  perch,  hanging  helplessly  in  the  jaws  of  the 
snake,  helpless  in  spite  of  its  flutterings  and 
struggles,  and  its  cries  becoming  more  feeble, 
and  the  old  birds  helpless  to  make  any  impres- 
sion upon  the  vile  monster  in  spite  of  their  will- 
ingness to  put  themselves  in  its  very  grasp,  and 
their  beating  it  with  their  wings  and  threatening 
it  with  their  cries.  It  was  a  doomed  bird  unless 
there  was  some  one  to  help  beyond  itself  and 
kin. 

I  tried  to  frighten  the  snake,  threatening  to 
strike  it  with  the  stick:  its  eyes  only  flashed  de- 
227 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

fiance  at  me,  and  it  held  its  victim  the  more 
firmly;  I  struck  it  with  the  stick:  it  only  tight- 
ened its  hold;  I  knocked  it  to  the  ground:  it 
dragged  the  bird  with  it,  and  started  to  crawl 
off  into  the  thicket  with  its  victim.  And  it  was 
only  when  I  put  my  heel  upon  the  serpent  and 
struck  it  over  the  head  that  it  loosened  its  hold 
and  crawled  sullenly  away  into  the  brush.  The 
little  bird  lay  upon  the  ground,  exhausted  and 
panting  but  uninjured,  for  it  had  been  seized  by 
the  big  wing-feathers,  which  were  wet  from  the 
saliva  of  the  snake,  but  the  flesh  was  not  broken. 
The  bird  rested  quietly  in  my  hand,  and  when 
I  put  it  back  in  the  nest,  the  nest  that  had 
seemed  too  stuffy  and  monotonous  for  it  before, 
in  comparison  with  the  luring  cool  of  the  thicket, 
it  was  now  content  to  remain  quietly  until  it  was 
able  to  fly.  When  I  came  to  the  rescue  of  the 
helpless  babe  the  parents  had  ceased  their  cries, 
and  soon  after  I  restored  the  little  one  to  the 
nest  it  was  cuddled  down  beneath  the  wings  of 
the  parent.  My  imagination  may  have  sug- 
gested the  thought,  but  it  seemed  to  me  that  the 
parent-birds  were  grateful  to  the  one  who  with 
his  greater  strength  had  come  to  the  rescue. 
228 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

My  sensations  during  the  incident  were  pe- 
culiar. As  I  leaped  out  of  the  tent  and  hur- 
riedly clambered  among  the  sprawling  branches, 
there  rang  in  my  ears  again  and  again  the  first 
great  promise  of  help  which  God  gave  to  man 


BENEATH  THE  WINGS  OF  THE  PARENT 

in  his  need,  concerning  the  mission  of  Christ, 
"He  shall  bruise  the  head  of  the  serpent."  And 
as  I  stood  by  the  struggling  bird  I  heard  Him 
say,  "I  looked,  and  there  was  none  to  help ;  and 
I  wondered  that  there  was  none  to  uphold ;  there- 
229 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

fore  mine  own  arm  brought  salvation;  and  my 
fury,  it  upheld  me."  And  it  seemed  as  though 
bending  over  me  and  bending  over  the  world 
was  the  colossal  figure  of  Christ  coming  into 
the  world  to  save  the  world  from  sin,  and  of 
Him  it  was  being  said,  "He  shall  bruise  the 
head  of  the  serpent." 

We  are  so  helpless  before  the  serpent,  and 
our  helplessness  drives  us  to  despair.  What 
thought  has  been  spent  upon  this  problem  of 
evil !  Is  there  any  man  who  has  not  tried  to 
fathom  its  mystery,  to  give  some  adequate  mean- 
ing for  its  existence,  to  answer  the  question  as 
to  why  man  must  be  preyed  upon  by  this  "mon- 
ster of  so  frightful  mien."  The  theories  are  le- 
gion. The  believers  in  the  evolution  of  the 
world  toward  God  believe  that  sin  is  a  good 
thing;  a  good  thing  for  a  man  to  stumble  and 
fali,  for  only  in  that  way  does  he  become  sure- 
footed and  strong  and  agile;  a  good  thing  for 
a  man  to  be  compelled  to  fight,  for  only  thus 
does  he  become  keen-eyed  and  resourceful;  a 
good  thing  for  a  man  to  lose  battles  and  suffer 
and  be  punished  because  of  lost  battles,  and  thus 
be  driven  to  desperation,  to  renewed  effort. 
230 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

And  so,  if  the  untried  innocence  of  childhood 
passes  away  in  shame,  there  comes  a  sturdy  man- 
hood which  has  tasted  defeat,  but  has  come  to 
taste  victory  as  well. 

There  are  those  who  believe  that  sin  is  the 
remnant  of  the  beast  within  us,  which  is  to  be 
overcome  in  the  struggle  of  life.  The  mob 
seizes  and  burns  its  victim;  it  has  reincarnated 
the  wolf-spirit.  A  man  selfishly  hordes  and 
builds  larger  granaries;  he  has  reincarnated  the 
tiger,  which  eats  its  fill  and  then  watches  by 
the  prey  to  keep  the  hungry  jackals  away.  And 
the  removing  of  sin  from  our  natures  is  the  get- 
ting farther  away  from  the  beast-world.  As 
Tennyson   says : 

"  I  have  climbed  to  the  snows  of  Age,  and  I  gaze  at  a  field  in 
the  past, 
Where  I  sank  with  the  body  at  times  in  the  sloughs  of  a 
low  desire, 
But  I  hear  no  yelp  of  the  beast,  and  the  man  is  quiet  at  last 
As  he  stands  on  the  heights  of  his  life  with  a  glimpse  of  a 
height  that  is  higher." 

Or  sin  is  the  residuum  between  the  ideal  set 

up  by  the  leaders  of  humanity  and  the  "common 

herd,"  as  the  masses  have  been  styled.     So  we 

hold  our  conception  of  sin  depending  upon  our 

231 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

position  in  the  scale.  If  we  have  high  ideals 
we  look  upon  many  things  with  loathing  which 
are  not  disgusting  and  may  even  be  pleasing  to 
the  multitudes.  Then  there  are  those  who  speak 
of  sin  as  a  great  curse.  It  is  the  influence,  the 
work  of  Satan;  and  one  tells  us  that  sin  is  in 
the  world  because  God  is  helpless  before  Satan, 
which  we  find  hard  to  understand ;  and  another 
tells  us  that  God  is.  temporarily  helpless,  for  it 
will  take  Him  some  time  to  conquer  Satan, 
which  is  equally  bewildering ;  and  another  tells  us 
that  God  permits  sin  temporarily  for  our  good; 
and  still  another  tells  us  that  God  can  not  help 
Himself,  not  that  He  is  helpless  before  Satan, 
but  He  is  helpless  before  man.  He  has  given 
our  destinies  into  our  own  keeping;  He  has 
given  us  wills,  which  may  be  set  over  against 
His  own  in  defiance.  We  choose  our  own  ca- 
reer; we  can  be  obedient  or  disobedient,  as  we 
choose ;  and  therefore  sin  is  of  our  own  making, 
our  rebellion  and  disobedience  to  God. 

But  whatever  theory  we   hold,   the   certain 

thing  is  that  sin  is  here.     About  this  there  is 

no  delusion.     A  man  can  shut  his  eyes  to  sense 

and  facts,  and  say  that  "whatever  is,  is  right;" 

232 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

but  he  opens  his  eyes  to  see  that  whatever  is, 
is  not  right,  that  the  world  is  out  of  joint,  that 
hearts  are  out  of  tune,  that  family-life  has  many 
a  discordant  note,  and  the  community  is  not  at 
peace.  The  problem  of  hunger  is  man's  great 
problem  in  the  physical  realm.  His  great  con- 
cern, the  thing  which  he  must  concern  himself 
about,  is  to  see  how  the  body  can  be  kept  from 
starving,  how  bread  can  be  provided  to  satisfy 
its  cravings.  And  man's  great  problem  in  the 
spiritual  realm  is  the  problem  of  sin,  to  see 
whether  it  be  possible  that  the  better  life,  the 
ideal  life,  can  be  kept  from  starving  and  dying, 
whether  the  hunger  for  righteousness  can  be 
satisfied. 

There  are  forest-fires  that  sweep  across  great 
areas,  destroying  vegetation,  villages,  human 
lives;  terribly  relentless  forest-fires.  And  the 
fires  of  sin  rage  in  our  lives,  damaging  and  de- 
stroying our  ideals,  our  better  motives,  our  de- 
sires for  more  unselfish  living.  It  is  not  hard 
to  conceive  a  beautiful  world,  a  world  in  which 
Fatherhood  and  Brotherhood  are  the  big  words ; 
every  man  knows  God  and  loves  God  and  looks 
to  Him  for  guidance  and  follows  His  bidding, 
233 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

and  every  man  under  the  teaching  of  Christ 
loves  his  brother  as  himself.  If  God's  pur- 
pose were  in  effect,  then  it  were  a  beautiful 
world. 

The  trouble  with  the  business-world  is  SIN. 
In  the  business-world  there  ought  to  be  honesty 
and  truth  and  honor  and  co-operation.  A  man's 
word  ought  to  be  good  without  his  note;  a  man's 
attitude  ought  to  be  that  of  a  friend,  and  not  a 
foe.  But  in  place  of  what  ought  to  be  we  find 
abscondings  and  defaultings  and  cheatings  and 
stealings  and  bitter  competition,  until  we  are 
sometimes  driven  to  feel  that  we  can  not  trust 
any  one.  The  trouble  with  society  is  sin.  In 
our  social  relations  there  ought  to  be  friendli- 
ness and  sympathy  and  cheering  words  and  un- 
selfish regard  for  one  another's  welfare,  and  a 
helpful  spirit,  each  counting  himself  the  guard- 
ian of  every  friend  and  every  acquaintance. 
But  in  place  of  what  ought  to  be  there  are  jeal- 
ousies and  backbitings  and  slanders  and  betray- 
als. You  do  not  need  to  be  told  how  often 
social  functions  make  it  possible  for  the  serpent 
to  enter  the  Garden  of  Eden.  The  trouble  with 
the  family-life  is  sin.  In  the  family-life  there 
234 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

ought  to  be  perfect  confidence  and  fidelity  and 
sympathy  and  love.  But  in  place  of  what  ought 
to  be  we  find  parents  caring  little  for  the  chil- 
dren, and  children  growing  away  from  the  par- 
ents, and  parents  not  caring  for  each  other  and 
false  to  each  other,  with  the  last  chapter  (no, 
not  the  last,  but  the  next  to  the  last)  written  in 
the  divorce-court.  The  trouble  with  the  indi- 
vidual is  sin.  The  beaten  paths  of  decency  are 
too  dull,  and  the  old-fashioned  life  of  morality 
is  too  monotonous,  the  willow-thicket  is  so  lur- 
ing, so  inviting,  so  tempting.  Either  deliber- 
ately and  joyously  or  with  reluctant  consent  we 
leave  the  proper  paths  for  the  forbidden  ways : 
I  know  to  do  good,  and  do  it  not;  I  do  the 
things  I  ought  not  to  do. 

Great  is  our  utter  helplessness  before  sin. 
Often  the  serpent  stealthily  crawls  upon  us  un- 
awares, and  we  are  seized  before  we  realize  it, 
fastened  in  the  clutches  of  some  temptation. 
Often  the  serpent  of  temper,  discontent,  jeal- 
ousy, covetousness,  selfishness,  holds  us  in  its 
grip.  We  make  our  protests,  but  they  are  so 
feeble;  we  make  our  vows  and  resolutions,  but 
they  are  so  easily  broken;  our  struggles  are  so 
235 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

impotent,  the  serpent  is  so  strong,  our  fate  seems 
so  certain. 

The  Son  of  God  came  into  the  world  to  rescue 
us  from  the  great  enemy.  God  said  of  Him, 
uHe  shall  bruise  the  head  of  the  serpent;"  and 
He  said  of  Himself,  "I  am  come  to  seek  and 
to  save  that  which  was  lost;"  and  again,  "to 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor;  to  heal  the 
broken-hearted;  to  preach  deliverance  to  the 
captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind; 
to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised." 

We  welcome  Him  as  the  Redeemer,  Savior 
of  the  world.  He  has  come  to  bruise  the  head 
of  the  serpent,  this  monster  with  a  million  heads 
and  more.  Wherever  there  are  human  beings, 
in  the  home  or  on  the  street,  in  the  social  gath- 
ing  or  in  the  commercial  world,  in  our  out- 
ward living  or  in  the  secret  places  of  the  heart; 
where  folks  are  old  or  young,  rich  or  poor, 
known  or  unknown,  in  the  East  and  the  West, 
where  men  are  white  and  men  are  black  and  men 
are  brown :  wherever  men  have  gone  in  this  wide 
world,  there  the  serpent  has  trailed  them,  seek- 
ing to  make  them  its  victims;  and  there  the 
Christ  has  gone,  endeavoring  to  seek  and  to 
236 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

save  the  lost.  And  the  day  will  come  when  so- 
ciety will  be  purified,  humanity  redeemed,  and 
the  earth  filled  with  righteousness,  because 
Christ  has  come  to  bruise  the  head  of  the  ser- 
pent. 

Let  us  be  more  specific.  There  is  no  hope 
of  a  world-program,  a  general  program,  a  social 
program  that  does  not  take  the  individual  into 
account.  Christ  will  save  society  and  redeem 
the  world  by  saving  the  individual.  Society  will 
be  saved  when  each  member  of  society  has  felt 
the  redeeming  help  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  the 
one  sheep  whose  bleating  He  hears;  it  is  the 
one  man  whose  cry  He  heeds. 

He  puts  His  heel  upon  the  head  of  the  ser- 
pent, and  I  feel  the  loosening  of  the  grip  and 
a  way  of  escape  from  the  temptation  is  pro- 
vided. He  adds  His  strength  to  mine,  and  to- 
gether we  are  able  to  tear  loose  the  serpent's 
coils;  He  somehow  increases  my  strength  by 
abiding  with  me,  giving  me  "the  strength  of 
ten,"  and  I  am  able  to  beat  back  the  serpent; 
He  quickens  my  knowledge  and  increases  my 
watchfulness  so  that  I  see  the  danger  in  the 
thicket  and  avoid  it,  so  that  I  see  the  leadings 
237 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

of  the  pastime  or  amusement  that  assumes  such 
an  air  of  innocence  and  I  shrink  from  the  path. 
And  somehow,  after  He  has  put  His  heel  upon 
the  head  of  the  tempter,  "whereas  I  was  blind, 
now  I  see,"  and  "I  have  become  a  new  man  in 
Christ  Jesus."  uNay,  in  all  these  things  we 
are  more  than  conquerors  through  Him  that 
loved  us.  For  I  am  persuaded,  that  neither 
death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities, 
nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to 
come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other 
creature  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the 
love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord." 

The  deliverance  is  at  hand.  Though  I  was 
so  near  that  helpless,  struggling  bird  I  had  not 
known  its  sore  distress  and  dire  need  had  it 
not  cried  out.  But  the  moment  it  cried,  my 
heart  was  moved  to  pity,  and  I  hurried  to  the 
rescue.  Christ  is  waiting  to  hear  the  cry  for 
help.  I  do  not  say  that  He  is  in  Ignorance  as 
to  our  sore  condition,  but  He  is  helpless  against 
our  authority.  How  gladly  He  would  come; 
but  He  can  not  come  until  I  seek  His  help. 
"Would  anybody  refuse  to  cry  out  to  Christ 
238 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

for  help,  for  deliverance  from  sin?"  you  ask. 
Why,  certainly;  the  multitudes  do.  Christ  will 
give  a  man  strength  to  escape  from  the  awful 
clutches  of  the  serpent  drink,  but  the  multitudes 
do  not  wish  to  escape;  and  one  man  I  knew 
urged  to  a  drink-cure  was  so  anxious  to  get 
again  into  the  clutches  of  this  awful  appetite 
that  he  deliberately  rubbed  himself  with  alco- 
hol to  cultivate  a  taste  above  the  result  of  the 
drugs  used  in  his  cure.  Perhaps  his  plan  was 
not  really  a  help  to  that  end,  but  that  man  de- 
liberately thrust  himself  back  into  the  grasp  of 
the  curse.  In  our  jail  is  a  thief  who  had  barely 
been  freed  from  the  serving  of  a  sentence  for 
stealing,  until  he  repeated  the  crime.  There  are 
plenty  of  harlots  who  are  such  by  choice;  they 
will  not  leave  the  path  of  sin,  though  the  op- 
portunity presents  itself. 

People  sometimes  say,  "Why  does  n't  the 
Church  do  more?"  It  seems,  with  such  a  great 
organization,  with  such  machinery,  with  such 
numbers  of  workers,  it  ought  to  double  and 
quadruple  its  results  for  good.  "Why  does  n't 
it  do  more?"  And  the  answer  comes  swiftly, 
"Because  the  world  will  not  let  it  do  more." 
239 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

It  is  often  ready  to  help,  only  to  have  its  offer 
spurned;  it  often  seeks  to  come  to  the  rescue, 
only  to  meet  with  rebuke.  Whatever  may  be 
said  about  the  shortcomings,  the  Church  is 
ready  and  anxious  to  do  much  more  than  it  does. 
It  warms  its  room  for  the  unsheltered,  it  pro- 
vides entertainment  for  the  destitute,  it  has 
words  of  cheer  and  comfort  for  the  discour- 
aged, and  it  would  gladly  point  the  way  to  God. 
But  before  the  refusal  of  the  man  who  loves 
his  sin,  and  who  fondles  the  serpent  that  strikes 
at  his  heart,  the  Church  is  as  helpless  as  Christ. 
The  Church  would  be  quick  to  hear  the  cry  of 
the  one  in  distress  and  come  to  his  aid,  and  I 
am  sure  beyond  any  doubt  or  question  that  Jesus 
Christ  would  be  doubly  quick  to  hear  and  would 
be  at  his  side  before  the  words  had  ceased  from 
his  lips. 

He  is  so  mighty  to  save.  And  therefore  our 
need  as  Christians  is  to  keep  close  to  His  side. 
Where  He  leads  I  can  go  in  perfect  peace  and 
safety.  And  where  He  does  not  lead  I  have 
no  right  to  go.  "At  Thy  side  there  is  fullness 
of  joy,  at  Thy  right  hand  there  are  pleasures 
for  evermore."  "Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  per- 
240 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

feet  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  Thee,  be- 
cause he  trusteth  in  Thee."  If  Christ  does  not 
lead  through  the  thicket  and  the  desert  and  the 
wilderness,  I  have  no  right  to  be  there;  and  if 
He  leads,  He  will  lead  me  through  in  safety. 
uYea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  Thou 
art  with  me,  Thy  rod  and  Thy  staff,  they  com- 
fort me."  He  is  so  ready  to  save;  and  there- 
fore our  need,  those  of  us  who  have  not  yet 
called  upon  Him,  is  to  hear  His  voice,  en- 
treating, seeking,  offering  deliverance,  offer- 
ing to  rescue  us  from  the  serpent  and  make  us 
free. 

Because  He  has  kept  His  word,  has  heard 
my  cry,  has  come  to  my  deliverance,  there  is 
gratitude  in  my  heart.  If  He  has  led  me  from 
the  things  of  the  world,  and  led  me  to  the 
Father's  house,  I  do  not  complain ;  but  I  praise 
Him  with  heart  that  overflows  because  of  His 
marvelous  kindness.  And  because  He  has  set 
me  free,  in  whatever  way  He  can  use  me  I  seek 
to  do  His  bidding,  to  serve  Him,  to  tell  of  His 
greatness,  His  power  over  the  serpent,  His  will- 
ingness to  help,  His  swiftness  to  hear. 
16  241 


DELIVERING  THE  PRISONER 

Because  He  has  bruised  the  head  of  the  ser- 
pent that  has  threatened  my  life  and  thwarted 
my  life,  and  has  set  me  free,  I  cry,  "Thanks 
be  unto  God  which  giveth  us  the  victory  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 


242 


IX 
AUTUMN  GLORIES 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

"Now  Moses  kept  the  flock  of  Jethro  his  father-in-law, 
the  priest  of  Midian:  and  he  led  the  flock  to  the  backside  of 
the  desert,  and  came  to  the  mountain  of  God,  even  to  Horeb. 
And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him  in  a  flame  of 
fire  out  of  the  midst  of  a  bush;  and  he  looked,  and  behold, 
the  bush  burned  with  fire,  and  the  bush  was  not  consumed. 
And  Moses  said,  I  will  now  turn  aside,  and  see  this  great 
sight,  why  the  bush  is  not  burnt.  And  when  the  Lord  saw 
that  he  turned  aside  to  see,  God  called  unto  him  out  of  the 
midst  of  the  bush." — Exodus  3:1-4. 

"Give  not  sleep  to  thine  eyes,  nor  slumber  to  thine  eyelids. 
Deliver  thyself  as  a  roe  from  the  hand  of  the  hunter,  and  as 
a  bird  from  the  hand  of  the  fowler.  Go  to  the  ant,  thou 
sluggard ;  consider  her  ways,  and  be  wise :  which  having  no 
guide,  overseer,  or  ruler,  provideth  her  meat  in  the  summer, 
and  gathereth  her  food  in  the  harvest.  How  long  wilt  thou 
sleep,  O  sluggard?  When  wilt  thou  arise  out  of  thy  sleep?" 
— Proverbs  6:4-9. 


IX 

"The  whole  earth  is  full  of  His  glory." — Isaiah  6:3. 

THE  autumn  time  has  come,  when  leaves 
are  thickly  strewn  and  waters  lurk  in 
quiet  pools  and  shadows  image  in  their 
breasts.  God  is  abroad  in  His  world,  enriching 
it  and  beautifying  it  and  inviting  His  children 
to  come  out  and  walk  with  Him.  Because  I 
accepted  the  invitation  I  found  Him  at  work 
in  His  field  and  woods.  And  along  the  Rock 
River  and  where  the  white  pine  grows  I  found 
this  sermon.  I  offer  no  apology  for  inviting 
the  Church-folk  to  leave  this  building  and  go 
with  me  to  those  places,  that  we  may  there  wor- 
ship God  and  learn  to  know  Him  better.  Rather 
would  I  chide  the  Church  because  it  has  ig- 
nored God's  world  so  much,  and  so  has  missed 
much  that  it  might  have  learned  about  Him 
and  broadened  acquaintance  with  Him. 

I  speak  as  a  friend  of  the  Church.     In  the 
presence  of  her  enemies  I  would  be  swift  to  re- 
245 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

sent  attacks  upon  her  from  such  a  source;  swift 
to  assert  the  truth  that  the  Church  is  God's  am- 
bassador and  great  representative  on  the  earth 
to  preach  His  Word  and  exalt  His  Son  and 
build  His  Kingdom;  swift  to  assert  that  the 
Church  has  been  the  great  agency  in  the  dis- 
semination of  knowledge  through  its  own  serv- 
ices and  the  institutions  it  has  founded  for  the 
propagation  of  the  spirit  of  democracy  through 
its  own  teachings  and  leaders  it  has  raised  up, 
the  teaching  of  charity  and  brotherhood  and  the 
doing  of  deeds  of  charity.  Here  is  a  record  to 
be  proud  of  and  only  possible  because  the 
Church  has  walked  with  God  and  under  God's 
tutorship.  But  the  Church  has  its  human  side : 
it  is  made  of  flesh  and  blood,  and  therefore  is 
prone  to  error  and  to  shortsightedness.  And  it 
behooves  the  believer  in  the  Church  and  friend 
of  the  Church  to  look  with  critical  eyes  at  its 
shortcomings,  that  these  may  be  corrected  and 
the  Church  made  still  stronger  for  the  building 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

As  a  friend  of  the  Church,  I  confess  that  it 
has  made  a  mistake  in  quarreling  with  the  men 
of  science.     This   is   one   of  the  black  pages 
246 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 


in  its  history.  Galileo  was  one  of  God's  great 
men  because  of  openness  of  heart  and  shrewd- 
ness of  mind  which  enabled  him  to  discover 
great  truths  concerning  the  planetary  system  to 
which  we  belong.     But  when  Galileo  declared 


■    n 

\  map*.  *»**  zsf  7±**       «", 

hist": 

If; 

WHEN  LEAVES  ARE  THICKLY  STREWN 

that  the  earth  moves,  the  Church  persecuted 
him  and  compelled  him  by  threat  of  death  to 
recant ;  i.  e.t  to  lie,  to  declare  what  he  knew  was 
not  true.  The  Church  discredited  him  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world.  Galileo  is  dead  and  immor- 
247 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

talized,  and  the  Church  for  this  deed  is  dis- 
graced; for  everybody  to-day  knows  that  Ga- 
lileo was  right  and  the  Church  was  wrong.  He 
was  learning  something  of  God's  method  of 
doing  things  and  thus  helping  the  world  to 
greater  knowledge  of  God,  and  the  Church  op- 
posed the  advance  of  truth. 

Darwin  was  one  of  earth's  noblemen,  gentle 
in  spirit,  brotherly  in  manner,  seeking  to  know 
more  of  God's  ways  in  the  world.  Darwin 
with  his  patient  investigations  and  experiments, 
as  well  as  by  his  conclusions,  made  in  his  theory 
of  evolution  one  of  the  great  contributions  to 
our  knowledge.  The  Church  opposed  him,  de- 
clared him  a  heretic,  denied  his  conclusions  by 
arrogant  assertion  and  not  by  evidence,  and 
turned  many  a  friend  of  the  Church  who  was 
also  a  seeker  after  truth  away  from  itself. 
Darwin  is  crowned  as  one  of  the  great  bene- 
factors of  mankind;  his  teachings  have  become 
the  viewpoint  and  basis  of  practically  all  schol- 
ars, and  the  Church  is  discredited  for  her  per- 
secution of  this  man. 

The  man  or  Church  that  fights  against  truth 
inevitably  loses  the  battle.  For  the  day  there 
248 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

may  seem  to  be  victory ;  but  in  the  end  men  will 
believe  what  they  see  and  hear,  and  prove  by 
examination.  Truth  crushed  to  earth  will  rise 
again,  though  the  Church  be  against  it.  We 
ought  to  see  that  the  men  of  science  are  truth- 
seekers,  patiently,  persistently  questioning  how 
God  has  done  things  and  is  doing  things;  and 
we  ought  to  thank  God  for  these  men  and  the 
contributions  they  make  to  our  knowledge. 
"Have  they  not  made  mistakes?  Are  there  not 
blunders  all  along  the  way?  Are  not  the  old 
text-books  of  science  discredited?"  Certainly 
these  things  are  true,  but  the  journey  has  been 
one  of  progress,  the  motive  has  been  right,  the 
lasting  accomplishment  has  been  great ;  they  are 
on  the  right  track.  "Have  they  not  sometimes 
attacked  the  Church  and  ridiculed  and  opposed 
it?"  Certainly,  some  men  of  science  have  done 
this,  whether  justified  by  the  attack  of  the 
Church  upon  them  or  not.  So  now  and  then 
there  is  an  ugly  honey-bee  in  the  hive,  and  it 
stings  us  when  we  come  near.  But  that  will 
not  cause  us  to  throw  away  the  accumulated 
sweetness  representing  the  toil  of  many  workers, 
even  though  it  was  not  meant  for  us.  And  the 
249 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

Church  should  appropriate  to  her  own  use  the 
truth  which  these  toilers  in  the  field  of  uncer- 
tainty and  perplexity  and  mystery  gather  and 
bring  to  the  light,  and  should  not  scold  but 
praise  them,  though  it  means  that  past  opinions 
may  need  to  be  changed  and  faulty  interpreta- 
tions revised.  The  truth  of  God  is  the  legiti- 
mate property  of  the  Church. 

Again  as  a  friend  I  confess  that  the  Church 
has  made  a  mistake  in  ignoring  the  world  in 
which  we  live.  A  man  building  a  house  would 
take  into  account  the  grounds  where  the  house 
was  situated.  We  have  been  building  a  re- 
ligious house,  a  theological  temple,  with  Christ 
as  honored  Guest,  and  have  practically  ignored 
the  world  in  which  it  is  built.  We  have  largely 
given  the  world  over  to  the  devil,  finding  him 
in  burdock  and  thistle  and  flood  and  lightning, 
and  seeing  these  things  everywhere.  Or  we 
have  ignored  the  world,  counting  it  merely  a 
place  where  we  must  eat  and  drink  and  sleep 
and  get  our  living,  but  having  no  reference  to 
the  spiritual  man.  Now,  the  truth  of  the  world 
is  as  divine  as  the  truth  of  the  Bible ;  the  world 
is  as  genuinely  a  revelation  of  God,  a  teacher 
250 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

come  from  God,  as  the  Bible;  and  when  we 
interpret  the  book  of  Nature  and  the  book  of 
Scriptures  rightly  we  shall  find  the  same  ser- 
mons, the  same  laws,  the  same  truths  on  both 
pages. 


A  WALK  AMONG  THE  TREES 


So  I  urge  upon  the  Church  this  day,  and  you 
men  and  women  of  the  Church,  that  you  seek 
after  God  out-of-doors  as  well  as  in,  in  leafy 
grove  as  well  as  in  temple  of  stone.  Let  us 
seek  God's  truth  everywhere  and  let  us  rejoice 
251 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

in  God's  companionship  everywhere,  and  let  us 
not  blind  our  eyes  to  God's  presence  when  we 
depart  from  the  cloister  and  turn  from  the 
printed  page. 

The  earth  is  full  of  the  glory  of  God  because 
God  is  in  the  earth.  Oh,  He  is  everywhere:  in 
church,  in  home,  in  worship,  in  prayer,  in 
heart;  but  God  is  also  in  bush  and  tree,  in  flower 
and  bird,  in  creeping  vine  and  soaring  eagle. 
God  is  everywhere :  where  daisies  bloom,  where 
lilies  nod,  where  sunflowers  stare,  where  wil- 
lows droop,  where  the  great  sea  ebbs,  where 
river  flows,  where  streamlet  ripples,  dances, 
laughs,  and  sings.  Some  say  that  God  is  dead 
or  sleeping  or  gone  upon  a  journey;  that  God 
made  the  world  and  abandoned  it  in  its  travail 
as  a  faithless  husband  his  wife.  But  though 
friend  may  desert  friend,  a  merchant  forsake 
his  counter,  a  shepherd  his  flock,  a  mother  her 
babe,  God  does  not  forsake  His  garden,  His 
groves  with  their  leafy  curtains,  His  children. 
I  love  to  be  there  because  I  am  with  the  Father. 

Somehow  there  is  such  comfort  and  rest  and 
peace  away  from  humanity  and  near  to  Nature. 
I  do  not  justify  the  life  of  the  ascetic,  the  her- 
252 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

mit,  the  abandoning  of  the  world  to  its  sin  and 
shame : 

"We  are  not  here  to  dream,  to  drift. 
We  have  hard  work  to  do  and  loads  to  lift. 
Shun  not  the  struggle :  face  it ;   't  is  God's  gift. 
Be  strong,  be  strong." 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  let  not  the  heart  grow 
calloused.  And  when  the  heart  is  depressed  by 
the  glamour,  the  guile,  the  wrong,  the  oppres- 
siveness and  hate  and  bitterness,  secret  sin  and 
flaunting  vice,  then  it  is  our  great  privilege  to 
turn  away  from  man  to  Nature,  to  walk  among 
the  trees  and  by  the  brook  and  hear  no  words 
of  fault-finding  or  scolding,  of  flattery  or  revil- 
ing, no  oath  or  obscene  jest,  and  see  no  drunken 
rioting  or  bestial  conviviality,  marks  of  the 
ravagings  and  fires  of  sin. 

"If  thou  art  worn  and  hard  beset 
With  sorrows  that  thou   wouldst  forget, 
If  thou  wouldst  read   a  lesson  that  will  keep 
Thy  heart  from  fainting,    and  thy  soul   from   sleep, 
Go  to  the  woods  and  hills!     No  tears 
Dim  the  sweet  look  that  Nature  wears. 
And  here  amid  the  silent  majesty  of  these  woods 
Its  presence  shall  uplift  thy  thoughts  from  earth, 
As  to  the  sunshine   and  the  pure,  bright  air 
Their  tops  the  green  trees  lift." 

253 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

The  pity  is  we  are  so  often  blind  to  God  and 
His  truth  in  Nature.  Here  is  inspiration  and 
uplift,  here  are  sermons  and  parables;  and  the 
multitudes  are  tramping  them  under  foot  and 
do  not  know  they  are  there,  blind  leaders  of 
the  blind.  I  looked  one  day  from  the  deck  of 
the  ship  across  the  laughing  waters  of  Lake  Su- 
perior to  the  Pictured  Rocks  of  the  southern 
coast.  Above  the  blue  waters  hundreds  of  sea- 
gulls were  floating,  tossing  as  the  first  great 
snowflakes  preceding  the  storm  are  tossed  about 
in  gentleness.  I  saw  the  great  grotto  lifting 
above  the  beach,  seemingly  a  playhouse  of  the 
gods,  and  on  the  huge  bluffs  of  St.  Peter's 
sandstone  the  art-exhibit.  The  frames  across 
which  the  canvas  was  stretched  were  of  whitest 
enamel  and  of  various  sizes,  but  truly  hung,  for 
the  lines  were  perpendicular  and  horizontal. 
Through  the  powerful  glass  the  pictures  ap- 
peared as  forest  or  plain,  as  mountain  or  valley, 
as  river  or  lake,  as  trees  with  flocks  of  sheep  be- 
neath them  or  as  bodies  of  fighting-men.  The 
sight  was  fascinating;  there  was  hardly  time 
to  breathe.  Why  would  not  the  vessel  stop, 
that  we  might  gaze  and  feast  until  satisfied? 
254 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

or,  if  breathless  interest  would  break  into  words, 
that  we  might  praise  God  for  His  matchless 
skill  and  for  our  privilege  in  having  eyes  to  see 
and  such  wonders  to  see  ?  And  the  folks  beside 
me  were  disgustingly  talking  about  their  being 
such  fools  as  to  leave  their  dinner  unfinished 
to  see  a  pile  of  rocks  stained  by  the  weather. 
These  folks  are  fit  only  to  be  city-folks,  to  look 
out  upon  smoking  chimneys  and  dirty  factory- 
walls,  and  hear  only  the  screech  of  the  switch- 
engines  and  the  bawling  of  the  vegetable-men. 
They  are  blind  and  deaf,  deliberately  so,  and 
are  not  entitled  to  the  beautiful  world  God  has 
given  us.  The  farmer  has  no  business  to  be 
irreligious,  nor  the  traveler,  nor  the  one  who 
has  a  chance  to  see  the  blue  sky  overhead,  the 
green  grass  under  his  feet,  the  twining  vine  or 
leafy  tree  in  his  yard. 

But  we  are  sadly  in  need  of  miracles  re- 
peated of  the  opening  of  blind  eyes.  Men 
look  upon  forests  and  streams  and  see  only 
wood-piles  and  sawmills  and  turning  wheels 
and  driving-belts.  Women  look  upon  delicate 
flowers  and  beautiful  birds  with  envy,  covet- 
ing them  out  of  wicked  hearts  for  hat  or 
255 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

dress.  The  woodchuck  climbs  the  fence-post 
along  the  meadow  or  the  tree  in  the  woods. 
The  wise  man  sees  and  says,  "I  will  turn  aside 
and  see  this  great  wonder,  why  it  does  this  and 
how;"  the  foolish  man  says,  "It  eats  some 
clover  and  digs  a  hole  in  my  field  and  is  worth 
twenty-five  cents  at  the  court-house;  I  will  kill 
it  and  scalp  it."  The  wise  man  sees  the  crow 
nesting  in  the  willow-row  and  says,  "I  will  turn 
aside  and  see  this  great  thing,  what  it  is,  how 
this  sable  bird  builds  its  house  and  rears  its 
young  and  gathers  its  food;  will  learn  some- 
thing of  the  abilities  with  which  God  has  en- 
dowed it;"  the  foolish  man  says,  "I  saw  it  take 
an  egg,  and  somebody  said  it  pulled  the  young 
corn"  (and  did  not  look  closely  enough  to  see 
that  it  was  after  the  grubworms  at  the  root  of 
the  corn)  ;  "I  will  climb  the  tree  and  pull  off 
the  heads  of  the  baby-birds  and  shoot  the  old 
bird;  they  are  worth  ten  cents  apiece  at  the 
court-house."  And  this  is  done  because  we  are 
blind  and  distrust  God  and  His  workmanship, 
and  do  not  learn  to  know  Him  better.  For  if 
we  know  Him  we  will  love  Him;  and  we  will 
know  Him  better  and  love  Him  more  if  we 
256 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

come  to  His  world  with  open  eyes  and  loving 
hearts.  Then  shall  we  see  "the  whole  earth  is 
full  of  His  glory." 

If  I  were  to  write  "The  Confessions  of  My 
Soul,"  it  would  be  to  tell  of  buoyancy,  of  ex- 
hilaration, yea,  even  of  intoxication  when  I  can 
stand  on  a  clover-bank  or  plunge  into  a  field 
which  reeks  with  the  aroma  of  the  wild-grape 
or  the  sweet-brier.  To  be  with  Nature  does 
my  heart  good  as  for  a  lover  to  be  with  a 
maiden.  I  love  all  seasons  of  the  year:  the 
winter,  when  the  snow  flies  fast  and  furiously, 
sweeping  into  every  unprotected  place,  sifting 
into  nook  and  cranny,  piling  over  bush  and 
rock  and  bank  in  the  most  fantastic  shapes ;  and 
the  trees  are  stripped  of  leaves  and  no  leaf  dare 
show  itself  for  fear  of  being  nipped  by  the 
frost,  but  the  sturdy  branches  will  not  yield, 
they  only  shake  their  fists  in  the  face  of  the 
gale:  the  winter  with  the  biting  cold,  when  to 
escape  it  the  prairie-hens  bury  beneath  the  snow 
and  break  through  the  crust  with  a  whir  when 
you  have  nearly  trodden  upon  them,  and  the 
muskrat  sleeps  w.ithin  the  thick  walls  of  the 
house  it  has  built  of  mud  and  reeds;  and  the 
l7  257 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

Carolina  woodpecker,  strange  anomaly  of  mi- 
gration in  the  bird-world,  hangs  upon  the  south 
side  of  the  tree-trunk  away  from  the  stinging 
cold;  and  the  rabbit  creeps  into  some  under- 
ground alley,  leaving  only  the  footprints  be- 
hind to  tantalize  you;  and  the  stream  pulls  the 
coverlet  of  ice  over  its  breast  as  the  drowsy 
sleeper  pulls  the  coverlet  over  him.  But  it  is 
not  drowsy  and  not  pessimist;  for  as  one  with 
tingling  cheeks  bends  his  ear  to  the  brook  he 
hears  it  singing  away  beneath  the  frozen  crust 
in  spite  of  ice  and  cold.  And  somehow  the 
spirit  of  the  singing  brook  creeps  into  my  heart, 
and  I  dare  to  say  that  I  too  will  sing  in  spite 
of  the  storm  and  bitterness  of  life. 

And  when  the  spring  comes,  I  love  the 
spring,  the  time  of  adventurous  daring,  when 
hepatica  and  anemone,  bloodroot  and  buttercup 
and  marigold  flaunt  their  colors  to  the  winds, 
creeping  to  the  very  edge  of  the  lingering  snow- 
banks, defying  frost  and  sleet  and  snow;  and 
the  robin  with  tawny  breast  from  Southland  sits 
upon  the  branch  of  the  elm  and  sings,  "Cheer 
up,  cheer  up,"  and  will  not  cease,  though  the 
branch  be  coated  with  sleet;  and  the  bluebird 
258 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

carols,  "Spring  is  coming;"  and  the  meadow- 
lark,  bringing  color  for  the  first  dandelion  upon 
his  throat,  makes  the  air  ring  with  his  melody, 
"I  'm  here;  don't  you  see  me?"  And  as  the 
days  pass,  the  flowers  multiply  and  the  birds 
abound  and  the  apple  trees  burst  into  bloom  and 
the  spirit  of  adventure  is  in  my  heart  and  life 
is  surging,  leaping,  and  I  am  saying  that  I  too 
dare  to  adventure,  to  do  all  that  life  demands, 
to  go  where  the  journey  leads,  to  bear  the  load 
and  sing  the  song  God  has  for  me. 

And  I  love  the  summer  with  its  thick  heat 
and  surfeiting  of  flowers  and  birds.  Summer  is 
a  hard-working  plodder,  the  Martha  among  the 
seasons,  busy  about  many  things.  There  is  not 
much  singing  of  birds:  they  are  too  busy  rear- 
ing the  young,  feeding  and  sheltering  and  car- 
ing for  them;  but  they  are  so  faithful  to  their 
appointed  tasks.  And  the  orchards  have  ceased 
adorning  themselves  with  beautiful  sweet-smell- 
ing flowers :  they  are  too  busy  growing  the  fruit 
that  by  and  by  shall  make  our  barns  groan  with 
their  weight;  and  the  meadows  are  busy  grow- 
ing the  grass  for  the  cattle,  and  the  fields  are 
busy  growing  the  grain  for  the  storehouses; 
259 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

busy,  busy  everywhere.  And  somehow  the 
spirit  of  patient  fidelity  to  appointed  tasks  gets 
into  my  heart  and  I  take  up  the  burden  with 
new  zeal  and  increased  patience. 

And  now,  because  it  is  autumn,  I  love  the 
autumn  best  of  all,  fading,  drooping,  dying 
autumn. 

"They's  something  kind  o'  harty-like   about  the  atmusfere 
When  the  heat  of  summer  's  over  and  the  coolin'  fall  is  here — 
Of  course  we  miss  the  flowers,  and  the  blossoms  on  the  trees, 
And  the  mumble  of  the  hummin'-birds  and  buzzin'  of  the  bees ; 
But  the  air's  so  appetizin';  and  the  landscape  through  the  haze 
Of  a  crisp  and  sunny  morning  of  the  airly  autumn  days 
Is  a  pictur'  that  no  painter  has  the  colorin'  to  mock — 
When   the   frost  is   on  the   punkin    and   the   fodder 's   in   the 
shock." 

A  stoop-shouldered  old  woman  with  rusty 
shawl  about  her  shoulders  and  faded  bonnet 
upon  her  head  comes  shambling  down  the  road 
to  the  market-place,  and  upon  her  arm  is  the 
market-basket  loaded  and  groaning  with  its 
weight  of  fruit  and  vegetables.  And  autumn  is 
that  stoop-shouldered  old  woman,  with  rusty 
garments  of  fading  flowers  and  dying  leaves. 
Here  are  the  marks  of  age  and  of  death.  But 
the  market-basket  groans  and  bends  nigh  to 
breaking  with  the  millions  of  bushels  of  wheat 
260 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

and  corn  and  apples  and  pears,  grain  and  fruit 
in  such  profusion  that  we  can  not  number,  and 
can  only  gasp  our  thanks  to  God,  "who  daily 
loadeth  us  with  benefits."  And  this  autumn 
day,  standing  in  the  midst  of  the  beauty  and 


DYING  LEAVES 


wonder  of  it,  we  may  learn  certain  great  lessons 
which  will  enrich  our  hearts  and  purify  our  lives 
and  strengthen  them. 

Autumn  is  a  reminder  of  the  close  of  life. 
Here  are  the  marks  of  death:  the  fields  are 
261 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

brown,  the  flowers  are  drooping,  the  leaves  are 
dead  and  falling,  the  birds  are  abandoning  it. 
How  swiftly  the  days  pass,  and  each  day  more 
leaves  have  fallen  and  more  birds  have  flown, 
and  the  signs  of  death  are  more  apparent! 
Autumn  is  as  faint  and  staggering  as  an  old 
man,  faint  and  staggering  toward  the  grave  of 
winter.  And  in  its  presence  I  feel  that  the  days 
of  life  are  swiftly  passing,  that  the  winter  of 
decay  will  soon  come,  and  that  these  days  must 
be  crowded  with  labors  that  the  harvest  may  be 
gathered,  the  fruitage  may  be  abundant. 

Autumn  is  the  time  of  preparation  for  larger 
life.  In  the  field  the  farmer  and  gardener  are 
selecting  the  best  and  strongest  and  most  per- 
fect as  seed  for  the  new  year;  in  the  woods  God 
the  Great  Gardener  is  wrapping  the  buds  in 
coverlets  of  down,  and  storing  the  sap  of  trees 
in  underground  reservoirs,  and  covering  the 
acorn  with  fallen  leaves  and  scattering  the  best 
seeds  with  friendly  winds  or  flowing  streams, 
assorting  and  selecting  the  best  by  means  of 
frost  and  other  wonderful  natural  agencies, 
wrapping  roots  with  dying  grass;  for  a  new 
year  will  come,  and  God  is  getting  ready  for 
262 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

it  even  now.  And  looking  upon  these  things, 
I  see  the  need  of  preparation  for  the  new  life 
and  the  new  year,  casting  aside  the  worthless 
to  decay,  saving  and  protecting  and  giving  op- 
portunity to  the  best  there  is  in  life,  that  it 
may  be  the  seed  from  which  under  the  gentle 
keeping  of  God  shall  spring  newness  of  life  in 
the  new  year  that  is  without  end. 

And  autumn  is  the  time  of  judgment.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  the  lazy  man,  the  wicked  man, 
the  squanderer  of  opportunity  God-given,  has 
loitered  on  his  couch,  has  slouched  at  his  job, 
has  tarried  long  at  the  wine  and  in  the  evil 
place,  and  has  laughed  at  the  man  who  was 
early  at  the  task,  and  who  was  toiling  during 
the  heat  of  the  day,  and  who  denied  time  to 
idleness  and  sin,  saying  that  the  day  is  far  spent 
and  the  task  is  great.  And  while  he  idled  and 
reveled  in  sin,  the  sun  shone,  the  dews  fell,  the 
gracious  showers  watered  the  earth;  spring 
came  and  went,  summer  came  and  went,  and 
now  the  autumn  is  here,  and  the  fields  are  scant 
with  harvest,  and  the  garden  is  luxuriant  with 
weeds,  and  the  storehouses  are  not  full.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  the  wise  man  has  been  early  at 
263 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

the  task,  has  brought  to  it  his  strength  of  body 
and  mind,  has  worked  together  with  God  as  the 
sun  has  shone  and  the  rains  have  fallen;  has 
said  "No"  to  the  tempter  of  idleness  or  sin,  has 
looked  pityingly  to  the  neighbor  who  was  let- 
ting the  days  of  golden  opportunity  pass,  urging 
him  in  vain  to  his  task;  and  when  the  autumn 
days  are  here  the  man  looks  upon  a  summer 
well  spent,  for  the  harvests  are  bountiful,  the 
land  has  yielded  abundant  increase,  the  garden 
and  orchard  have  added  their  treasures  to  the 
storehouses. 

Autumn  is  the  balancing  of  accounts.  Tears 
do  not  count,  repentance  does  not  count;  labor 
when  the  summer  is  here,  counts.  The  profli- 
gate man  facing  starvation  and  the  industrious 
man  facing  plenty  are,  each  after  his  kind,  en- 
joying the  fruits  of  their  labors.  There  comes 
the  autumn  of  life  which  is  the  judgment  time 
of  character.  The  one  man  has  spent  the  sum- 
mer in  the  cultivating  of  wild  oats,  in  riotous 
living,  in  idleness  and  carelessness,  and  the 
autumn  brings  him  tears  and  regrets  and  impo- 
tence and  trouble  and  shame  and  remorse.  The 
life  is  overgrown  with  weeds  and  thorns  and 
264 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

thistles,  and  tears  of  repentance  will  not  bring 
back  the  spring  time.  The  other  man  has  im- 
proved the  days,  has  learned  the  will  and  pur- 
poses of  God,  and  has  worked  with  Him. 
Sometimes  the  days  have  been  weary  days,  the 
burdens  have  been  heavy,  the  work  has  seemed 
void  and  without  results,  but  the  autumn  comes, 
and  the  weeds  and  thistles  and  thorns  have  been 
kept  out  of  the  life,  and  the  gentle  fruits  of 
righteousness  and  peace  and  love  have  been  cul- 
tivated; and  if  he  looks  back  upon  the  summer 
with  any  tears,  it  is  only  because  he  has  not 
toiled  even  harder  during  the  heat  of  the  day. 
He  enjoys  the  fruitage  of  a  good  life  because 
he  lived  that  life  when  the  summer  was  here. 
Autumn  is  a  reminder  that  the  time  of  fruit- 
age comes  and  that  God's  treasures,  intended 
for  us,  are  without  limit.  The  sparrows  with- 
out higher  aim  than  to  twitter  and  loll  in  the 
dust  are  fed,  and  the  lilies  spending  the  day  in 
showing  their  beauties  are  clothed.  And  God 
with  higher  purposes  for  us,  declaring  that  we 
are  of  much  more  value  than  they,  loads  us 
with  gifts  above  number.  It  is  the  fruitage 
time,  and  the  ripened  products  of  earth  are 
265 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

proof  enough  of  God's  kindness  in  material 
ways,  giving  us  a  home  with  inexhaustible  treas- 
ures. Standing  in  the  midst  of  these,  I  see  the 
higher,  unseen  world. 

These  earthy  treasures  are  but  suggestive  of 
the  spiritual  blessings  that  God  has  prepared 
and  will  prepare  for  His  children.  Here  is 
encouragement  that  faith  will  ripen  into  reality, 
that  spring  time  shall  become  harvest.  Here 
is  encouragement  to  the  farmer,  business-man, 
student,  that  if  he  will  sow  and  toil,  sow  and 
toil,  he  will  reap  the  harvest;  encouragement 
to  the  reformer,  that  if  the  struggle  is  con- 
tinued against  the  evil  of  slavery  or  saloon  or 
political  corruption  or  oppressed  womanhood, 
there  will  come  deliverance;  encouragement  to 
the  Christian,  that  if  he  will  continue  at  his 
prayers,  reading  the  Bible,  companioning  with 
Christ,  and  serving  Him  among  men,  there  will 
come  the  fruitage  of  a  noble  character,  victory 
over  sin,  rejoicing  in  righteousness  and  confi- 
dence in  the  perfect  day  that  comes. 

Permit  another  suggestion  this  autumn  day. 
God  is  a  lover  of  beauty,  and  here  is  proof 
enough.  To-day  is  the  heart-ache  of  autumn 
266 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

because  of  departing  glories:  the  birds  are  go- 
ing, the  leaves  are  dropping,  the  fruit  is  falling, 
the  ground  is  covered  with  a  death-bed  of 
leaves,  many  sad  good-byes  are  being  spoken. 
But  autumn  through  her  tears  is  brave,  and  be- 
fore the  parting  will  have  these  days  of  resplen- 
dent glory  and  magnificence,  and  before  we  say 
good-bye  to  autumn  and  autumn  friends  we  will 
look  long  and  eagerly  upon  her  gorgeous  dis- 
plays, and  will  have  grateful  hearts  to  God, 
who  is  the  Maker  of  it  all  and  who  loves  His 
children  enough  to  do  this  and  more  for  them. 
It  does  not  matter  much  where  we  stand, 
where  we  look,  the  beauty  is  everywhere;  but 
because  the  other  day  I  saw  the  native  pine- 
woods  of  our  State  I  will  ask  you  to  go  there 
with  me  before  we  go  to  our  homes.  I  have 
seen  the  pines  many  times,  having  traversed 
them  as  a  boy,  having  camped  in  their  midst 
as  a  man,  but  never  more  charming  than  they 
were  Thursday.  That  sight  was  worth  going 
a  thousand  miles  to  see,  was  worth  more  than 
the  riches  of  Croesus.  There  were  three  pre- 
vailing colors :  red,  yellow,  and  green.  But 
these  were  blended  and  mingled  in  countless 
267 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

shades  and  tints.  There  was  the  great  central 
mass  of  most  intense  green ;  but  on  the  borders, 
and  creeping  in  here  and  there,  were  the  other 
colors.  Excepting  blue  and  violet,  all  of  the 
colors  of  the  spectrum  were  represented.  The 
oaks  were  gorgeously  arrayed  with  garments  of 
cardinal  and  maroon,  of  salmon  and  scarlet,  of 
crimson  and  red;  the  blackberry  and  ash  and 
elm  were  flaunting  their  banners  of  canary  and 
lemon,  of  yellow  and  orange.  To  these  colors 
add  drab  and  gray,  an  occasional  cherry  and 
pink,  and  all  the  shades  of  green,  from  the  dark- 
est olive  to  the  lightest  sea-green ;  throw  a  great 
arch  of  blue  overhead,  with  an  occasional  float- 
ing mass  of  white,  and  if  you  have  the  imagi- 
nation of  a  God,  you  may  see  the  picture  our 
eyes  beheld.  I  have  forgotten  the  sumach  and 
the  poplar,  most  brilliant  of  all.  Moses  saw 
the  burning  bush  and  turned  aside  to  see.  Here 
was  not  one,  but  scores  resplendent  with  crim- 
son, brighter  than  the  brighest  flame,  and  God 
was  there. 

And  the  poplars!     As  their  tops  appeared 
above    the    surrounding    trees,    it    seemed    as 
though  some  Titan  had  taken  great  masses  of 
268 


AUTUMN  GLORIES 

yellow  fleece  and  thrown  them  out  of  the 
heavens  to  float  down  until  they  should  nestle 
upon  the  brow  of  the  forest.  The  ground  was 
covered  with  bushes;  they  must  have  been 
bushes,  but  it  seemed  as  though  the  fallen  leaves 
had  stopped  before  reaching  the  earth  and  were 
floating  and  swinging  in  air.  Unconsciously 
the  hand  drew  upon  the  lines,  the  carriage 
stopped, — a  deep  breath,  and — was  it  a  sob? 
for  we  were  standing  upon  holy  ground,  in  the 
very  presence  of  God  Himself,  and  the  sera- 
phim were  crying,  "Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the 
Lord  of  hosts;  the  whole  earth  is  full  of  His 
glory!"  And  in  the  thought  were  the  words 
of  a  greater,  "Woe  is  me!  for  I  am  undone; 
because  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips,  and  I  dwell 
in  the  midst  of  a  people  of  unclean  lips;  for 
mine  eyes  have  seen  the  King,  the  Lord  of 
hosts." 


269 


MUCH  SOWING  AND  LITTLE 
REAPING 


MUCH  SOWING  AND  LITTLE  REAPING 

"Behold,  there  went  out  a  sower  to  sow:  and  it  came  to 
pass,  as  he  sowed,  some  fell  by  the  wayside,  and  the  fowls 
of  the  air  came  and  devoured  it  up.  And  some  fell  on  stony 
ground,  where  it  had  not  much  earth;  and  immediately  it 
sprang  up,  because  it  had  no  depth  of  earth;  but  when  the 
sun  was  up,  it  was  scorched ;  and  because  it  had  no  root,  it 
withered  away.  And  some  fell  among  (horns,  and  the  thorns 
grew  up,  and  choked  it,  and  it  yielded  no  fruit.  And  other 
fell  on  good  ground,  and  did  yield  fruit  that  sprang  up  and 
increased ;  and  brought  forth,  some  thirty,  and  some  sixty, 
and  some  an  hundred.  And  He  said  unto  them,  He  that 
hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear." — Mark  4:3-9. 

"And  He  said,  So  is  the  Kingdom  of  God,  as  if  a  man 
should  cast  seed  into  the  ground;  and  should  sleep,  and  rise, 
night  and  day,  and  the  seed  should  spring  and  grow  up,  he 
knoweth  not  how.  For  the  earth  bringeth  forth  fruit  of  her- 
self; first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  after  that  the  full  corn  in 
the  ear.  But  when  the  fruit  is  brought  forth,  immediately  he 
putteth  in  the  sickle,  because  the  harvest  is  come.  And  He 
said,  Whereunto  shall  we  liken  the  Kingdom  of  God?  Or 
with  what  comparison  shall  we  compare  it?  It  is  like  a 
grain  of  mustard  seed,  which  when  it  is  sown  in  the  earth, 
is  less  than  all  the  seeds  that  be  in  the  earth:  but  whea  it 
is  sown,  it  groweth  up,  and  becometh  greater  than  all  herbs, 
and  shooteth  out  great  branches;  so  that  the  fowls  of  the  air 
may  lodge  under  the  shadow  of  it.  And  with  many  such 
parables  spake  He  the  Word  unto  them,  as  they  were  able 
to  hear  it." — Mark  4:26-33. 


X 


"Some  seed  fell  by  the  wayside;  some  fell  upon  stony 
places ;  some  fell  among  thorns ;  some  fell  into  good  ground 
and  brought  forth  fruit." — Matthew  13:4-8. 

WE  are  beholding  a  familiar  spring 
picture.  The  snows  are  melted,  the 
earth  is  warmed  by  the  genial  sun 
and  drenched  by  April  showers,  and  the  sower 
is  abroad  marching  to  the  trumpetings  of  the 
April  winds  and  the  pipings  of  the  birds,  scat- 
tering the  seed  everywhere :  some  of  it  by  the 
wayside,  some  of  it  on  the  stony  ground,  some 
of  it  among  the  thorns,  some  of  it  on  good 
ground,   scattering  the  seed  everywhere. 

And  behind  the  sower,  in  the  shadows  illu- 
minated by  the  imagination,  one  sees  the  fields 
of  the  Great  Sower  and  His  gigantic  figure  strid- 
ing over  the  mountains  and  down  the  valleys 
and  across  the  prairies  and  the  waters  of  the 
great  sea,  keeping  step  to  the  music  of  the  world 
and  its  creatures  He  has  made.  And  He  is 
18  273 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

scattering  seed  everywhere:  on  rocky  mountain 
and  fertile  valley,  marsh-land  and  desert,  to  the 
south,  where  the  burning  sun  would  seemingly 
destroy  all  life;  to  the  north,  where  the  sting- 
ing cold  destroys  life;  scattering  seed  every- 
where, trusting  that  some  time,  some  where, 
there  shall  come  a  harvest.  And  the  human 
sower  is  confident  that  there  will  be  the  harvest, 
that  the  sowing  is  not  in  vain,  because  he  stands 
in  the  shadow  of  the  Mighty  Sower,  who  sows 
the  skies  with  stars  and  sows  the  world  with 
many  things,  and  has  his  confidence  begotten  by 
Him. 

What  boundless  thought  is  contained  in  this 
parable,  enough  for  a  volume  of  sermons;  yes, 
for  a  series  of  books.  Here  is  the  big  word 
Sower,  whether  we  mean  the  man  who  is 
abroad  in  the  fields  scattering  the  wheat  and  oats 
and  clover,  or  the  man  in  business  who  is  seeking 
trade  by  widely  advertising  through  scattering 
sample  packages  or  by  improving  the  stock  of 
goods,  or  the  teacher  who  is  scattering  knowl- 
edge by  means  of  the  newspaper  and  magazine 
or  in  the  schoolroom,  or  the  preacher  who  is 
scattering  the  Word  of  God  in  the  Church  and 
274 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

out  of  the  Church,  wherever  there  is  opportu- 
nity. Here  is  the  big  word  Soil,  whether  we 
mean  the  loam  upon  which  the  sun  falls  and 
which  drinks  in  the  dew  of  heaven,  and  which 
has  been   fertilized  by   ice-floe   and   frost  and 


A  FIELD  OF  THE  GREAT  SOWER 

angle-worm,  or  whether  we  mean  the  commer- 
cial field,  a  teeming  world-population,  always 
hungry,  always  demanding  that  the  body  shall 
be  cared  for;  or  the  mind  with  its  ignorance,  its 
gropings,  its  hungerings  after  knowledge;  or 
275 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

the  heart  with  its  barrenness  of  sin,  with  its 
hungering  for  righteousness  and  love  and  God. 
Here  is  the  big  word  Seed,  whether  we  mean 
the  wheat  and  corn,  or  the  sample  package  of 
the  grocer,  or  the  words  of  knowledge,  or  the 
Word  of  God.  And  here  is  the  word  Fruit, 
whether  we  mean  the  shocks  of  grain  and  the 
stacks  of  hay  and  the  branches  In  the  orchard 
bending  with  the  weight  of  ripened  treasure,  or 
whether  we  mean  the  increased  trade  and  pros- 
perity and  wealth  of  the  business-man,  or  the 
developed  mind  with  its  store  of  knowledge  and 
ability  to  solve  problems,  or  the  cultivated  heart, 
enriched  and  stored  with  every  "good  word  and 
work." 

From  the  many  questions  and  problems  that 
suggest  themselves  for  our  consideration,  we 
choose  one  for  our  theme  to-day,  "Much  Sow- 
ing and  Little  Reaping."  Some  seed  fell  by  the 
wayside,  and  nothing  came  of  it ;  some  fell  upon 
stony  places,  and  nothing  came  of  it;  some  fell 
among  thorns,  and  nothing  came  of  it;  but  some 
fell  into  good  ground  and  brought  forth  fruit. 
There  were  four  sowings,  and  three  of  them 
were  in  vain ;  but  there  was  one  reaping.  Much 
276 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

seed  was  wasted,  much  work  was  done,  from 
which  there  were  no  returns.  But  there  were 
returns  because  there  had  been  abundant  sow- 
ing. The  lesson  is  apparent.  If  we  sow  pro- 
miscuously enough  we  shall  reap  the  harvest. 

The  ministry  of  Jesus  illustrates  the  sermon- 
thought.  He  healed  ten  lepers;  nine  of  them 
forgot  Him,  only  one  became  His  follower. 
He  fed  at  one  time  five  thousand  and  more  with 
the  loaves  and  fishes,  and  instructed  them  con- 
cerning the  Word  of  God.  And  at  the  close 
of  His  earthly  career,  as  He  was  about  to 
ascend  to  the  Father,  there  were  only  five  hun- 
dred with  interest  enough  to  gather  to  bid  Him 
good-bye.  He  taught  thousands;  only  a  mere 
handful,  perhaps  only  four  or  five,  heard  Him 
well  enough  to  become  teachers  of  the  Word 
after  Him. 

And  here  is  the  question,  Why  did  Jesus 
squander  so  much  time  and  strength?  Why 
did  He  waste  His  thought  and  energy  upon 
those  nine  lepers?  Did  He  not  know  that  they 
would  be  faithless?  I  think  so;  if  He  brought 
enough  divinity  into  the  world  to  cure  the 
lepers,  I  think  that  He  brought  enough  to  know 
277 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

their  future  conduct.  Possibly  not;  He  "emp- 
tied Himself"  when  He  took  the  form  of  a 
man,  and  perhaps  He  gave  up  this  power  of 
fore-knowledge.  But  whether  or  not,  one  thing 
is  sure,  we  could  not  have  foretold;  and  Jesus, 
in  becoming  a  perfect  example  for  us,  must  have 
acted  as  it  would  have  been  wise  and  proper 
for  us  to  act  under  like  circumstances.  It  would 
seem  to  us  that  there  would  have  been  such 
gratitude  as  to  make  the  lepers  lasting  disciples. 
Are  we  so  dull  as  not  to  know  folks  better? 
They  desire  healing  and  strength  of  body  and 
mind,  they  desire  knowledge  and  genius,  some 
of  them,  not  to  serve  the  world  but  to  compel 
the  world  to  serve  them.  Those  lepers  wanted 
to  be  healed  that  they  might  enter  politics, 
aspire  to  office,  gain  position,  and  be  able  to 
domineer  over  folks;  or  they  wanted  to  hold 
rank  in  society,  and  be  applauded  and  flattered; 
or  they  wanted  to  enter  the  commercial  world 
and  accumulate  riches,  that  they  might  gloat 
over  the  shining  and  clinking  of  the  gold  coins. 
But  we  can  not  tell  how  a  man  will  improve 
his  opportunity,  what  he  will  do  with  his  talent. 
And  so  if  we  had  been  in  Jesus'  place  we  would 
278 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

have  needed  to  heal  the  ten.  Our  ignorance 
makes  much  fruitless  work  necessary.  We 
must  err  on  the  side  of  mercy,  for  one  of  the 
ten  may  be  deserving.  Because  we  can  not 
forecast  the  harvest  we  must  scatter  much  seed 
on  barren  fields.  Again,  Jesus  had  put  the  re- 
sponsibility on  the  individual.  He  had  been 
robbed  of  excuses.  In  the  day  of  judgment  the 
lepers  could  not  say,  "No  man  gave  me  a 
chance;"  the  hungry  could  not  say,  "No  man 
fed  and  helped  me;"  the  multitudes  could  not 
say,  "No  man  told  me  these  things."  The  seed 
had  been  sown,  the  opportunity  given,  the  re- 
sponsibility fixed.  Every  man  must  be  given  a 
chance  and  so  made  responsible  for  his  own  des- 
tiny. There  must  be  schools  for  all  the  chil- 
dren, though  many  of  them  do  not  make  good 
use  of  the  knowledge  offered  to  them.  There 
must  be  work  for  everybody,  with  the  attending 
rewards  of  food  and  other  necessities  and  com- 
forts, though  some  may  spurn  the  task  and  live 
a  life  of  idleness.  There  must  be  culture  of 
mind  and  heart  available  to  all,  though  many 
may  insist  upon  living  boorishly  and  wantonly 
and  sinfully.  I  repeat,  the  seed  has  been  sown, 
279 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

the  opportunity  given,  the  responsibility  fixed. 
And  here  are  lessons  for  the  Church  and  indi- 
vidual. 

This  lesson  from  the  Bible  of  "much  sowing 
and  little  reaping"  is  a  splendid  tonic  for  the 
banishing  of  discouragement.  How  often  we 
are  tempted  to  say,  "What's  the  use?"  The 
tiller  of  the  soil  has  worked  hard,  plowing  and 
pulverizing  the  field,  planting  the  seed,  cultivat- 
ing the  corn.  A  hail-storm  sweeps  down  out  of 
the  sky,  beating  the  corn  to  tatters,  leaving  only 
a  field  of  wreckage ;  and  the  farmer,  looking  at 
the  wasted  field,  says,  "What 's  the  use  of  my 
trying  to  have  any  crops?"  Audubon  tramps 
far  and  wide  over  the  mountains,  through  the 
everglades,  swimming  unbridged  rivers,  pene- 
trating unpathed  forests,  studying  the  birds  of 
our  country,  and  with  great  patience  and  dili- 
gence transfers  their  graceful  forms  and  pleas- 
ing colors  to  plates,  only  to  have  an  unbridled 
fire  leap  upon  them  and  burn  them  to  ashes. 
The  work  of  the  years  has  gone  out  in  flames. 
"What's  the  use?"  And  this  is  the  title  of 
the  song  or  dirge  which  some  gloomy,  dismal, 
somber,  blear-eyed  souls  are  always  wailing, 
280 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

"What's  the  use?"  The  most  discouraging 
thing  is  not  the  fruitless  seed,  is  not  the  fact 
that  there  are  not  returns  immediate  and  bounti- 
ful for  all  our  labors;  but  the  most  discourag- 
ing thing  is  the  pessimistic  complaining  of  folks 
saying,  "What's  the  use?"  The  preacher  de- 
livers a  sermon  urging  the  forsaking  of  sin,  and 
some  one  says:  "What's  the  use?  Folks  will 
go  on  sinning  anyhow."  He  urges  the  people 
to  come  to  the  lecture-course  for  intellectual  de- 
velopment, and  some  one  says:  "What's  the 
use?  They  will  not  come  anyhow."  He  de- 
rides the  foolish,  destructive  habit  of  nickel 
theaters,  and  hears:  "What's  the  use?  Folks 
will  go  anyhow."  He  denounces  the  lawless 
saloonkeepers  and  officials  who  do  not  compel 
them  to  obey  the  law,  and  hears:  "What 's  the 
use  of  offending  folks  ?  They  will  go  on  break- 
ing the  law  anyhow."  He  tries  to  make  folks 
ashamed  of  their  slow  running  and  little  prog- 
ress, and  urges  upon  them  the  need  of  higher 
ideals  and  more  faithful  service,  only  to  hear: 
"What 's  the  use  of  trying  to  get  folks  to  lead 
better  lives?  They  will  go  right  on  in  the  old 
paths  anyhow." 

281 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

"What 's  the  use?"  is  the  baneful  narcotic  the 
devil  uses  in  allopathic  doses.  How  often  you 
say:  "What 's  the  use  of  going  to  church?  It 
is  n't  necessary ;  I  am  all  right  without  it. 
What 's  the  use  of  attending  lectures  ?  I  am 
more  comfortable  by  the  fireside,  dozing  or 
playing  a  game  of  dominoes.  What 's  the  use 
of  inviting  folks  to  give  their  hearts  to  Christ 
or  to  become  disciples  of  Christ?  They  just 
laugh  at  me.  What 's  the  use  of  teaching  in 
the  Mission  Sunday-school  or  calling  on  the  un- 
fortunate or  giving  money  to  feed  the  hungry 
and  to  clothe  the  naked?  They  do  not  appre- 
ciate it,  and  it  does  n't  do  them  any  good  any- 
how." And  many  a  time,  because  of  the  dis- 
couraging atmosphere  emanating  from  our 
neighbors  or  because  of  our  own  seeming  failure 
to  accomplish  our  desired  purposes,  we  go  with 
Elijah  to  the  juniper  tree,  wailing  "What's  the 
use?" 

But  from  the  juniper  tree  we  can  see  the 
sower  Jesus  saw,  and  the  thought  under  the  in- 
spiration of  the  Holy  Spirit  comes,  "Well,  I 
am  not  the  only  failure;  my  experience  is  the 
very  same  that  Jesus  had  when  He  walked 
282 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

among  men."  How  often  He  heard  it  said  to 
Him,  and  how  often  it  has  been  said  since  by 
readers  of  the  Bible,  "What  was  the  use  of 
trying  to  preach  to  the  Samaritans,"  forgetting 
that  there  was  a  woman  of  Samaria  upon  whose 
heart  the  word  of  Christ  fell  as  upon  fertile 
ground;  "what  was  the  use  of  arguing  with  the 
Pharisees  and  disputing  with  them,"  forgetting 
that  the  word  of  Christ  found  lodgment  in  the 
hearts  of  Joseph  and  of  Nicodemus;  "what  was 
the  use  of  eating  with  publicans  and  sinners," 
forgetting  that  a  Mary  Magdalene  and  a  Zac- 
chaeus,  most  improbable,  unlikely  soil,  received 
the  word  with  gladness  and  were  enriched  and 
became  enrichers  of  others;  "what  was  the  use 
of  going  to  Jerusalem  to  die,"  forgetting  that 
ever  since  the  multitudes  with  shoulders  bend- 
ing with  their  burdens,  and  hearts  sore  with 
their  sins,  have  found  the  cross  of  Christ  as  a 
shelter  in  the  time  of  storm,  the  lifter  of  bur- 
dens, the  comforter  of  hearts? 

And  if  we  count  it  failure  because  there  are 

not  apparent  returns  for  all  of  our  labors,  then 

we  must   count   God   equally   a    failure.      Our 

complaining  spirits  say:   "What's  the  use  of 

283 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

all  the  stars?  Many  of  them  have  never  been 
seen,  and  many  of  them  only  by  the  few  who 
have  looked  through  powerful  telescopes;  and 
even  of  those  within  range  of  the  eye,  they  are 
no  good,  they  do  not  feed  anybody,  they  do 
not  make  anybody  any  richer.  And  what  is  the 
use  of  the  flowers  that  bloom  in  the  woods,  and 
the  mountains  where  nobody  ever  goes?  And 
what  is  the  use  of  all  the  plants  which  we  call 
weeds,  and  of  all  the  insects  with  wings  of  gos- 
samer or  with  richly-colored  outer  wings;  and 
what  is  the  use  of  all  the  birds  and  all  the  fishes 
and  all  the  vermin?"  But  in  spite  of  our  petty 
complaints  God  goes  on  sowing  the  sky  with 
suns  and  planets  and  constellations,  goes  on 
sowing  the  desert  and  waste  places  of  the  earth 
with  beautiful  flowers,  goes  on  sowing  the 
land  with  beautiful  birds  and  songs  of  birds, 
goes  on  sowing  the  mountains  with  trees  and 
shrubs,  the  seas  with  fishes  and  delicate  sea- 
weed. 

What   does   it   mean?      Perhaps   nothing   is 

wasted.     It  may  be  for  the  time;  but  perhaps 

eventually  everything  has  its  place  in  the  world's 

journey  toward  God.     Perhaps  what  for  the 

284 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

moment  seems  to  be  wasted  endeavor  or  battle 
lost  may  prove  to  be  the  very  winning  of  the 
campaign.  Perhaps  the  failure  to  accomplish 
a  certain  purpose  may  accomplish  a  greater  pur- 
pose, help  to  execute  a  broader  plan.  There 
are  compensations  to  be  taken  into  account. 
The  farmer  has  gained  health  and  experience 
if  he  has  lost  the  corn.  Do  we  know  enough 
to  say  that  anything  is  a  failure?  But  after 
all  the  lesson  is  this,  our  much  sowing  without 
a  returning  harvest  is  the  same  experience  that 
God  has  and  that  Christ  the  Son  of  God  had. 
And  if  we  are  in  line  with  them,  having  the 
same  experience  they  have,  we  are  in  the  right 
path.  And  there  is  this  other  thought  spring- 
ing, "Who  is  judge?"  What  business  have 
we  to  judge  as  to  results?  "What 's  the  use?" 
as  spoken  above,  are  blasphemous  words.  It 
is  not  our  business  to  measure  the  returns,  and 
to  quit  because  they  do  not  seem  to  us  adequate 
for  the  labor  invested.  It  is  the  business  of 
Paul  and  Apollos  to  sow  the  seed,  God  will 
attend  to  the  increase. 

Here  is  also  the  lesson  of  indiscriminate  sow- 
ing, sowing  everywhere  with  the  hope  that  in 
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SOWING  AND  REAPING 

places  unexpected  as  well  as  expected  there  shall 
spring  a  harvest.  This  is  God's  method  in  Na- 
ture. On  a  single  dandelion-stem  He  builds  a 
hundred  seeds  and  equips  them  with  wings  and 
sends  the  wind  that  snatches  them  from  their 
bed  and  carries  them  everywhere.  He  builds 
a  hundred  thousand  seeds  upon  the  maple  tree, 
and  to  each  He  gives  a  sail,  so  that  they  are 
scattered  far  and  wide  before  the  breeze.  Some 
seeds  are  carried  by  the  streams,  some  by  the 
feet  of  birds,  some  are  attached  to  the  hair  of 
animals.  God  employs  many  methods,  He  is 
insistent  always;  and  as  a  result  the  seeds  are 
scattered  everywhere,  on  fertile  ground  and  on 
sterile  ground,  where  vegetation  already  grows 
luxuriantly  and  where  it  has  been  swept  away 
by  fire  and  where  it  has  never  grown  on  some 
coral-island  of  the  sea.  Most  of  the  seeds  die, 
some  of  them  live.  Some  spring  up  at  once, 
and  some  wait  many  years.  The  pine  forest 
is  cut  down  or  burned,  and  straightway  the  de- 
ciduous forest  springs  up  in  its  place.  The 
seed  had  been  sown,  and  was  waiting  its  chance. 
God  keeps  the  plant-kingdom  going  by  this  in- 
discriminate sowing,  generous  sowing. 
286 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

God  is  following  the  same  method  in  the 
animal  kingdom.  A  fish  lays  a  million  eggs. 
What's  the  use?  The  vast  majority  will  be 
destroyed,  devoured  as  eggs  or  as  little  fishes. 


NESTING  IN  HIDDEN  PLACES 

And  we  perhaps  say,  "Wasted;"  but  God  propa- 
gates fish  that  way.  The  same  plan  is  true  of 
the  birds.  They  are  scattered  everywhere, 
nesting   everywhere,    in    hidden   places   and   in 

287 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

open  places.  The  vast  majority  are  destroyed 
by  storms  or  by  vermin  as  eggs  or  young  birds 
not  out  of  the  nest,  but  God  gives  the  music 
and  gay  colors  of  the  birds  to  us  by  that  method. 

Must  it  always  be  true  that  "the  children 
of  this  world  are  wiser  than  the  children  of 
light?"  for  men  in  business  follow  the  same 
method.  They  advertise  their  wares  in  many 
places  and  in  many  ways,  in  magazines  and 
newspapers  and  Church  literature,  on  fences  and 
barns,  by  circulars  and  personal  letters,  by  sam- 
ples and  agents,  not  expecting  that  all  of  these 
methods  will  bring  a  harvest,  but  expecting  that 
by  this  indiscriminate  sowing  there  will  come  a 
sufficient  harvest.  The  man  on  the  farm  learns 
the  same  lesson,  to  sow  many  kinds  of  seeds, 
to  have  various  crops,  to  employ  diversified 
farming,  so  that,  though  some  might  fail,  not 
all  would  fail. 

And  this  is  the  very  method  that  has  brought 
success  to  the  Kingdom  of  God.  How  often 
Paul  must  have  felt  like  saying,  "What 's  the 
use?"  Why,  there  was  shipwreck  and  prison 
and  flogging  and  stoning  and  threatening  and 
peril.  How  useless,  hopeless  it  seemed  to  be 
288 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

talking  before  Felix  and  Agrippa  and  the  cen- 
turion and  the  mobs  that  assailed  him  and  the 
soldiers  who  guarded  him.  Nearly  all  of 
Paul's  words  were  wasted;  but  because  he  per- 
sisted with  noble  patience  to  sow  the  seed,  some 
of  it  found  its  way  into  fertile  soil,  and  the  day 
came  when  Tertullian  was  able  to  give  his  mes- 
sage concerning  the  power  of  the  gospel  to  the 
Roman  official,  and  the  Roman  Empire  was 
conquered,  and  Europe  was  converted,  and  the 
world  brought  within  reach  of  the  gospel. 
How  often  John  Wesley  must  have  felt  like 
running  before  the  storm  rather  than  submit- 
ting himself  to  abuses  and  revilings  and  attacks 
of  mobs.  But  because  he  splendidly  persisted, 
preaching  to  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor, 
farmer  and  miner  and  city-dweller,  there  came 
the  great  revival  that  saved  England  from  a 
"French  Revolution. " 

God  builds  His  Kingdom  that  way.  He 
floods  the  world  with  His  Spirit.  Like  the 
wind,  It  moves  everywhere;  like  the  seed,  it 
lodges  everywhere.  Most  of  it  seems  to  bear 
no  fruit;  but  now  and  then  it  strikes  fertile 
soil,  and  there  grows  up  a  Moses  or  Isaiah,  a 
289 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

Peter  or  Paul,  a  Luther  or  Wesley,  a  McCabe 
or  Moody.  The  seed  is  sown  in  the  Pacific 
Garden  Mission,  and  a  McAuley  or  Sunday  is 
converted;  in  a  country  revival-meeting,  with 
bad  roads  and  a  scanty  attendance  to  discourage, 
and  a  Bristol  or  Mclntyre  is  converted;  in  a 
city-revival,  and  a  Drummond  or  Grenfell  is 
won  to  God.  A  street-corner  meeting,  the  sing- 
ing or  whistling  of  a  gospel  song,  a  word  fitly 
spoken,  may  be  the  fruitful  seed. 

The  Church  and  the  individual  Christian 
need  to  learn  this  lesson.  This  is  no  plea  for 
slipshod,  unorganized  methods,  but  the  danger 
in  our  day  is  of  too  much  organization.  We 
are  putting  too  much  emphasis  upon  it,  we  are 
too  careful  not  to  waste  any  of  our  efforts,  we 
are  too  insistent  upon  returns,  we  are  afraid  of 
wasted  efforts;  too  much  of  our  strength  is  be- 
ing dissipated,  wasted  in  trying  to  prevent  seed 
from  falling  upon  stony  ground;  too  much 
time  is  being  wasted  by  the  sower  trying  to  pick 
up  the  seed  from  the  wayside.  The  need  is  for 
more  sowing,  more  indiscriminate  sowing.  Let 
the  pastor  take  his  Christmas  cards  with  a  word 
for  Christ  to  every  home  he  can  reach.  Many 
290 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

families  will  care  nothing  for  them,  but  some 
will  be  cheered  by  the  remembrance,  and  here 
and  there  one  may  be  brought  to  Christ.  Let 
him  preach  sermons  to  everybody.  Some  may 
sleep  under  them,  but  now  and  then  one  may 
be  saved.  The  need  is  that  laymen  shall  not 
have  a  select  few  in  whom  they  are  interested, 
but  shall  rather  invite  everybody  to  whom  they 
have  access,  to  church;  invite  them  repeatedly, 
no  matter  how  often  the  invitation  has  gone  un- 
heeded; shall  tell  everybody  who  will  give  any 
opportunity  the  good  news  about  Jesus  Christ, 
improving  every  opportunity,  being  all  things 
to  all  men,  being  instant  in  season  and  out  of 
season ;  for  this  is  God's  method  and  the  method 
He  would  have  His  children  follow. 

The  final  lesson  for  our  encouragement  is 
that  the  harvest  is  certain.  We  are  sure  of 
this,  that  most  of  the  seed  will  not  grow.  That 
is  the  lesson  of  Nature:  a  hundred  seeds  sown 
for  one  plant  builded;  seed  destroyed  ruthlessly 
on  every  side,  and  yet  some  of  it  finding  the 
fertile  soil  and  producing  the  certain  harvest. 
And  this  is  the  experience  of  the  Church.  Why, 
there  has  been  preaching  enough  and  there  have 
291 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

been  Bibles  enough  printed  to  have  saved  the 
world  long  since.  But  much  of  the  effort  has 
been  vain. 

And  we  are  also  sure  that  we  can  not  fore- 
cast the  results  through  knowing  where  the  soil 
is  fertile  or  what  seed  is  fertile.  We  can  not 
tell  what  sermon  may  bring  conviction  to  some 
wandering  soul,  what  boy  in  the  Sunday-school 
may  become  the  great  leader  for  God,  what 
visit  for  Christ  to  a  neighbor  may  bring  knowl- 
edge of  God  to  that  home,  what  word  may  be 
the  word  that  shall  arouse  some  good  impulse. 

But  of  this  we  may  be  confident,  that  if  we 
are  faithful  to  our  task  of  sowing  we  are  sure 
of  the  harvest.  uWhat  's  the  use  of  preach- 
ing?" we  say;  but  the  Church  grows  amazingly; 
it  runs,  and  does  not  grow  weary ;  it  leaps  from 
shore  to  shore,  and  the  voice  of  Christ  is  heard 
in  every  land.  "What  is  the  use  of  trying  to 
do  charitable  work?"  we  say;  but  asylums  and 
hospitals  and  libraries  spring  up  like  mush- 
rooms in  the  night,  and  the  sufferers  are  being 
relieved  from  famine,  and  playgrounds  are  be- 
ing built  for  the  poor,  and  wealth  is  being 
poured  into  the  lap  of  the  Church  so  prodigally 
292 


SOWING  AND  REAPING 

that  it  is  embarrassed  by  its  very  abundance. 
"What  is  the  use  of  fighting  the  saloon?"  we 
say;  but  last  year  fifteen  thousand  were  put  out 
of  commission,  were  padlocked,  and  the  move- 
ment toward  their  complete  abolition  sweeps  on 
amazingly.  "What  is  the  use  of  trying  to  lead 
a  good  life,  a  useful  life,  a  Christlike  life?" 
We  make  so  many  failures,  we  fall  so  often,  we 
commit  so  many  sins;  but  somehow  under  re- 
peated effort  and  renewed  effort  the  character 
does  grow  toward  God,  and  righteousness  does 
get  firmer  lodgment  in  our  lives,  and  the  King- 
dom of  God  grows  night  and  day,  we  know  not 
how.  And  so  the  problem  is  a  simple  one.  He 
that  sows  promiscuously  enough  shall  reap  the 
certain  harvest.  Therefore  let  us  go  forth 
sowing  the  seed,  even  though  with  weeping; 
sowing  it  abundantly,  persistently;  knowing  that 
we  shall  come  again  with  rejoicing,  bearing  the 
sheaves. 


293 


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